You, Me & Us
by Zesty Bod
Summary: Fitz and Olivia are not in a good place. He is still reeling from her betrayal and she is just trying to move on. But things are never simple between these two. Spoilers through Episode 2x15, "Boom Goes the Dynamite."
1. Chapter 1

**YOU, ME & US**

Chapter 1

Olivia and her crew were sitting around the discussion table, tossing ideas back and forth about their newest client, a pro football player who had gotten mixed up in the disappearance of a stripper. So far, the case against him looked pretty strong but Olivia's gut told her that he was innocent. And ever since she had distanced herself from Fitz, her gut seemed to be back in working order.

"What about the teammate?" Harrison asked. "Didn't he say the teammate was with him at the club?"

"A few of them, actually," Abby offered. "Tossing $100 bills like they have them to spare."

"They do," Olivia said, before her eyes were drawn to the buzzing phone on the table. Cyrus's name popped up and she excused herself from the discussion. She stepped into the corner of the room while the others kept talking, and she lowered her voice. "Cyrus."

"Actually, no."

The voice on the other end of the line was one that always made Olivia's hair stand on end. There were very few people that she was afraid of, and although she wouldn't go so far as to say that she was afraid of Mellie Grant, the woman did make her extraordinarily uncomfortable. Olivia looked over her shoulder before walking completely out of the room and shutting the door behind her.

"Mellie," she said.

"Cyrus and I are meeting in his office at one o'clock. I need you to be there," Mellie said in her usual chipper, bitchy tone.

"Why?"

"We need to talk."

"About..."

"You know what about." She didn't elaborate, and she didn't have to. Olivia's stomach tightened momentarily.

"I'm not sure how much help I can be."

"We'll decide that when you get here. See you at one, Liv," she said, like they were old chums. Mellie hung up and Olivia took a moment to gather herself before she returned to the conference room.

...

Olivia's heart thumped harder with every step she took along the familiar corridors of the West Wing. She hadn't stepped foot in any part of the White House since Ella's christening and she had promised herself that she would avoid the place at all costs. She tried to keep her head down and shield her face behind her side bangs. She avoided eye contact with everyone and her nerves frayed with every corner she passed out of fear of seeing _him_. When she finally made it to Cyrus's office, she felt like she had made it to a bunker.

"Liv," Cyrus said with as much of a smile as he seemed capable of mustering. He sat behind his desk and Mellie was sitting in chair across from him. She turned and acknowledge Olivia with a nod. After Olivia closed the door, she sat next to Mellie in the other empty chair and jumped right into it.

"Why am I here?" she asked.

"Fitz is..." Cyrus looked at Mellie, searching for the right words. He threw up his hands and finally said, "not doing well."

"He's a drunk, Olivia," Mellie said bluntly. "He's drunk every morning, afternoon and night. He's being mean and testy with everyone. People are afraid to approach him because he might jump down their throats. He's making bad decisions and people are starting to wonder if he's fit for the job."

"Sally Langston has started sniffing around, looking for any excuse to get him out and get her pruny ass back in that big seat. Rumors are going around that she's telling people he isn't himself after the shooting and she's trying to commission a psychiatric evaluation."

Olivia took in what they were saying, nodding slowly. "I don't see what I can do about any of that."

"Make up with him," Mellie said with a desperation in her eyes. "I don't know what happened between you two but without you around, he's completely intolerable. He's falling apart at the seams. You're the only one who can placate him. Lord knows I've tried and he's not interested. He's just...dead, Olivia."

"I'm sorry, but I can't help," she said softly. "Fitz doesn't trust me anymore, ever since he found out about Defiance. He hates me."

"Then make him un-hate you," Cyrus said.

"He made it pretty clear the last time we spoke that he doesn't want anything to do with me. So I'm sorry, but I can't help."

She stood to leave and as soon as she turned around, the door opened. And in stepped the object of her torment, Fitz Grant. His hair was slicked back and had grown to cover the bullet wound in his head. His dark blue suit fit him perfectly, as always, and he had a hand in his pocket. Olivia's breath caught in her throat when their eyes met, and his lips formed into a dry smirk.

"Well, what do we have here?" he asked, as he stepped inside and closed the door. "A meeting to pre-rig my re-election? What's on the table this time, guys? Maybe we'll hire some thugs to stand at the polls and tell them only the registered Republicans can vote."

Olivia gathered herself and turned to Cyrus to mouth, "I'm sorry." She grabbed her purse and tried to walk past Fitz, but he moved into her path. She licked her lips and said with a forced kindness, "excuse me, Mr. President."

"Mr. President?" he asked, with a short laugh. "I thought we were past all the formalities, Liv. I mean, after all..." He leaned down until his mouth was practically on her ear and said in a whisper loud enough for everyone to hear, "I _have_ had your pussy in my mouth."

Mellie audibly gasped and Olivia felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. As Fitz stayed leaned down to her, she caught the strong odor of alcohol and immediately pushed him away from her.

"Are you drunk?" she asked in disbelief.

"I've had a sip or two," he shrugged.

"It's the middle of the day."

"Yeah, well, I've been spending a lot more time with my good friend, Jack Daniels. He's the only person I trust these days, you know? The only person I can trust to be exactly who he presents himself to be."

His eyes bore into hers in a not-so-subtle attempt to tell her that he was talking about her. Olivia brushed past him and she was about to grab the door when his next comment stopped her in her tracks.

"But I guess it was my fault for putting you on a pedestal, huh?" he asked. "I mean...what is it that they say? 'You can't turn a ho into a housewife'?"

"Fitzgerald!" Mellie shrieked.

Hot anger ran through Olivia's veins as she replayed exactly what he had just said to her. She stayed perfectly still, allowing her disbelief and outrage to consume her until she it was eating at her. She turned around slowly and when she came face to face with Fitz and his smug expression, she walked to him until she was inches away. Then, as he waited for some kind of response, Olivia raised her hand and slapped him so hard across his face that he stumbled back. He grabbed his hurt cheek and she stared at him with a rage that she had never felt before.

"_Now_, it's over," she said with a shaky voice. She turned to Mellie and Cyrus, who were both sitting open-mouthed at the events that had unfolded in front of them. "Get someone else to do your dirty work."

Olivia threw the door open and stormed out but she was in such a fog that she didn't even know where she was walking. She was on auto-pilot as she walked out of the White House and made it to her car. She didn't remember driving home, but once she got there, she walked to her bedroom, crumpled in front of the bed and cried like she had never cried before. She cried over the pain Fitz's words has caused. She cried over losing him because, she knew, it was finally over between them. But mostly she cried because his hateful words had confirmed every bad thought she had ever thought about herself: that she was nothing more to him than a whore to be fucked and discarded. He had never respected her. But far worse than that, he had never loved her.

And that was something to mourn.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to everyone who has left reviews. There is a lot of traffic on the story, so I know a lot of people are reading, too. The more reviews, the more motivated I am! I already have the first few chapters written, so show me some love and I'll do the same.**

Chapter 2

Fitz sat in his big black chair, tapping his fingers on the Resolute Desk. He had a glass of scotch in one hand that he sipped every now and then as he stared straight ahead. It was past eleven o'clock and he had long since released everyone who normally stayed behind when he worked late. After all, he really wasn't working. He was just sitting there, trying not to think. He had hoped the scotch would numb his busy mind but all it did was intensify his thoughts about _her_. It was always about her...her smell, her smile, her skin, her confidence. He had replayed their last exchange in his head over and over, dissecting every aspect of it, down to the monstrous slap she'd laid on him. His cheek was still hurting, even several days later.

He downed the rest of his drink and slid the glass away. He had tried everything to get over her, yet nothing worked. She was imprinted in his mind like someone had used a branding iron on his thoughts. He couldn't get away from her, and it infuriated him.

His thoughts were interrupted when the door to the Oval Office opened and Mellie walked in, head held high as usual. She wore a dress and her hair and makeup were still done from earlier in the day. Fitz checked his watch and looked at her as she waltzed to the sofa and sat down.

"Going somewhere?" he asked dryly.

"Are you ever coming to bed?"

"When I'm finished here."

"Finished with what? It doesn't look like you're working on anything."

"I'm thinking."

"About Olivia?"

Fitz smirked and propped his feet up on his desk. When he didn't answer, Mellie gave him a strained smile.

"This is what you do when you're thinking about her," she said. "You stay up late, in solitude, pining away for her. If you weren't married to me, I'd think it was romantic. The heartbroken expression whenever her name comes up, the late-night phone calls. It's adorable, really."

"What do you want, Mellie?"

"I want you to get yourself together," she said, dropping her forced smile. "I want you start acting like a president and stop acting like a drunken adolescent who got dumped on Prom Night."

"I know it may be hard for you to believe, given that you generally seem to lack a soul or the ability to feel emotions like pain, but I'm not in a good place right now, Mellie. I got shot in the head and everyone I thought I could trust betrayed me. So pardon me if I'm a little melancholy."

"Oh, cut the shit, Fitzgerald," she said in a bored tone. "You've had a year to come to terms with what we did and you're still playing the victim card. Get over it. You're President and nobody gives a damn how you got here. The fact is, you got here. And if you want to stay here, you need to start acting like it."

Fitz watched as she Mellie stood and approached the desk. She placed her dainty, manicured hands on the polished wood and stared him down with the eyes of a woman on mission.

"I gave up my career for you, you selfish little asshole," she said in a serious voice. "I had your children. I supported your pie-in-the-sky dreams and took my own feelings out of the equation when it meant helping you reach your goals. Yes, we cheated to get you here but I'm not sorry about it. This is your dream and it's my dream and the ends justify the means. I'm sick of you walking around here like a spoiled brat complaining about everything that's been handed to you on a platter. Get over your own pride and realize what you're putting on the line. If you don't care about yourself or me, then at least think of your kids. Do you want Karen and Gerry and Teddy to grow up and go to school and hear about their one-term alcoholic president of a father?"

Fitz's jaws clenched as her words seeped into the very core of his body, striking a nerve.

"Or do you want them to hear about their brave dad, who was shot in the head and still managed to bounce back and be one of the greatest leaders that this country has ever seen?"

She leaned further down until her face was parallel with his, and she smiled.

"Olivia was the only one who _didn't_ want to rig it," she said in a low tone. "Hollis came to us with the idea and Cyrus, Verna and I all agreed immediately. Olivia said no, that you'd do it on your own and she wouldn't even consider it. The number cruncher on the campaign confirmed that there was no way we could win and even then, Olivia still said no. She said no literally up until the night before the election, and only because your father had just died and you were acting like this was something you actually wanted and not just something you were doing for shits and giggles." Mellie shook her head and sighed. "She did it because she loves you enough to risk everything and she wanted to see you happy. Even though it meant she couldn't be with you and even though it meant that this might blow up in the end. How stupid are you not to see that?"

The anger that had been swirling in Fitz's veins for nearly a year started to dissolve into guilt and embarrassment. Mellie looked at him like she really did think he was stupid and she crossed her arms across her chest.

"I know you don't love me," she said softly. "I know I can't satisfy like you she does. But I'm still your wife. And we're still a team. And if making you see how good you had it with Olivia is what I have to do to keep this family on track, then so be it. You need her. So get your head out of your ass and be the Fitz that everyone loved."

Mellie gave him one last look before she turned on her heels and headed to the door. She grabbed the knob but before she walked out, she said over her shoulder, "And if you and Olivia fix things, don't even think about trying to divorce me. I'll take you for everything you have and I'll expose you for the philandering drunk you are. Now call her and come to bed."

With that, she slammed the door behind her and Fitz just stared for a few seconds before his shoulders began to shake with laughter. He didn't stop as the laughs spilled out and all he could think about was what a woman he had married. It was the first genuine laugh he'd had in weeks, maybe months.

As his smile faded away, though, he thought about what Mellie had said to him. He realized that, in his anger, he had never given Olivia the chance to explain herself. He knew that he at least allowed her that much.

So, with anxious fingers, he picked up the phone on his desk.

"Mr. President," someone answered.

"Secure line, please," he said.

He heard a click, then a steady tone and he took a deep breath as he dialed a very familiar number. His heart tensed as the phone rang, and rang, and rang, before going to the automated voicemail that Olivia had never personalized. Fitz hung up and looked at the phone. He wondered if she was out. And if so, if she was with someone. The thought caused a flare of anger and insecurity in him and he dialed again. When the ringing stopped and the phone picked up, his stomach leapt into his throat. He had no idea what he was going to say, and any words died on his lips as soon as a man answered Olivia's phone.

"Hello?" the man asked.

Fitz's entire body froze. He stopped breathing. A man was at her house. At night. Answering her phone.

"Who is it?" he heard Olivia ask in the background.

"I don't know. Hello?" the man asked again.

Fitz slammed the phone down without speaking and he stared at it again. A million questions buzzed in his brain but the only prominent thought was that she was with someone at her home late at night. Maybe even having sex.

Vomit threatened to spill out his mouth and Fitz's hands flew into a rage as he knocked everything off his desk. He threw his glass against a wall and watched it shatter, just like his heart. He covered his face with his hands and sobbed like a baby. It was too late. She had moved on. He had finally pushed her too far.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Olivia sat at her dining room table, highlighting a packet of information that she had received from her latest client. She had been busy working on a campaign for a Democratic candidate in Georgia, and the work was taking up nearly every second of time she had during the day. Normally, she probably wouldn't have taken on such a big job with everything else she had going on, but she was sorely in need of a distraction. It had been some days since her last run-in with Fitz and his words were still the first on her mind when she woke up and the last when she went to bed. He had eviscerated what was left of her heart and the only way to keep from crumbling into a corner was to work herself. Hard.

At around nine, she was pulled away from her efforts when there was a knock on her door. She closed the silk robe that she had draped around her ratty old T-shirt and shorts and checked through the peephole. A combination smile/eye-roll was her response when she opened the door to Captain Jake Ballard.

"Captain Ballard," she said in that easy, smoky voice.

"Ms. Pope," he said with a big smile. "You're looking more relaxed than I've ever seen you."

"What can I do for you?"

"You can go on that second date with me. "

"Jake, I'm sorry but I'm in for the night and I'm working..."

"Don't worry. I brought the date to you."

He produced a large recyclable grocery bag from behind his back and Olivia couldn't help but smile.

"And that is, what exactly?"

"Two sandwiches, some chips, some soda and my XBox."

"Your Xbox?" she laughed.

"Yeah. You always seem so busy and stressed. I thought maybe you could use a break. It's been a while since I kicked anybody's ass in Madden and since your ass is quite nice, I figured I'd use it as my target."

Olivia smiled, then broke into a full laugh and Jake grinned.

"See? Look at that gorgeous smile. You should show it off more often."

She shook her head and leaned against the door frame.

"I'm working," she reminded him.

"And work will still be there later. Just take a two-hour break with me. I promise it'll be fun and not at all painful."

Olivia pretended to think for a minute before she nodded and moved out of the way to let him in. She removed her computer from the table and directed Jake to set up the food there. She made sure her robe was still closed as she sat next to him. He produced two sub sandwiches and slid one to her.

"I wasn't sure what you liked so I got turkey. Seemed safe," he said.

"I love turkey. Thank you."

"No problem."

He handed her a bag of plain-flavored chips and a Coke.

"For future reference, I prefer salt and vinegar chips and Sprite," she offered with a half-grin.

Jake laughed and nodded. "Noted."

Olivia's smile remained as they ate dinner together and talked about the usual date things: where they were from, how big their families wore, where they went to school and the like. Jake was charming and funny and Olivia found herself feeling lighter than she had in a long time.

"Thank you, Jake," she said when she was finished. "That actually hit the spot."

"I'm glad. I promise I can get fancier than subs and chips but this seemed okay."

"It was more than okay," she said as she touched his shoulder. "I needed this."

He smiled and his eyes sparkled at her.

"And it's not over yet," he offered. "Unless you're afraid of what I'll do to you in Madden."

"Captain, please," she said with a short laugh. "I may look dainty but I know how to handle a joystick."

She winked and Jake bit back a laugh.

"I'll let that one slide," he said.

"Good idea."

She started to clean up and Jake went to her living room to set up his game console. Once everything was hooked up and the game had started, they sat together on the couch and he handed her a controller.

"So I don't need to teach you or anything?" he asked. "You know, most girls are atrocious at video games. They can't even figure out how to move the characters."

"Well, Captain, if there's one thing you'll learn about me, it's that I'm not like most girls."

"Trust me, I've already figured that out."

She nudged him with her shoulder and then focused on the task at hand. She picked the Redskins, of course, while Jake settled for the Cowboys. Olivia held her own throughout the game, making quite a few good plays and even coming close to beating him.

"I'm thoroughly impressed with your gameplay, Ms. Pope," he said. "Want to make it best of three?"

"You're on."

"Shall we make it more interesting and put a wager on it?"

Olivia raised an eyebrow in question. "What kind of wager?"

"Oh, I don't know. Say if I win, I get a kiss."

She smiled and tapped her finger to her lip in thought. "Hmmm...okay. And if I win?"

"You get whatever you want."

"Whatever I want? That could be dangerous," she said in an unintentionally sexy voice. Jakes's eyes momentarily fell on her lips and his cocky grin reappeared.

"I certainly hope it is."

So they proceeded to play the next two games, both of which Olivia won. She jumped off the couch and raised her arms in victory.

"I told you not to doubt me," she said with a big smile.

"That, you did. I'm man enough to admit defeat. What do you want as your prize?"

Before Olivia could answer, her home phone rang. On instinct, her eyes darted straight to the wall clock. When she saw how late it was, she knew that there was only one person who could be calling her. She was shocked that he could call after everything he'd said, but it was him. She could feel it in her bones.

So she ignored it.

"Do you want another drink?" she asked as she walked into the kitchen.

"No. Are you going to answer that?" he asked.

"Nope."

She padded into the kitchen and hid behind the cabinets as her heart got the best of her. Her hands were shaking from the mere thought of Fitz and she took a moment to catch her breath. She opened the fridge like she was going to get something, and then the phone rang again. She froze in place, wondering what she should do and how many times he would call before he got the hint. She peeked into the living room, where Jake was still sitting, and she made a snap-second decision.

"Could you answer the phone?" she asked.

Jake turned around, looking surprised at her request. "What?"

"Answer the phone, please."

"But...I thought you said you weren't going to pick up a minute ago."

"Jake, I won our bet and you said I'd get anything I want. I want you to answer the phone."

They shared a brief stare as Jake looked at her in question. But then he shrugged and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

Olivia waited with baited breath to see if Fitz would answer. Jake looked at her like he was confused.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"I don't know. Hello?" he asked again.

After a brief second, Jake put the phone down.

"Whoever it was hung up."

"Oh. Must have been a wrong number."

"Guess so."

An awkward silence passed over them and Olivia knew that he knew that she had just used him. She hoped that he didn't ask any more questions and she breathed a sigh of relief when he stood up and stretched like he was about to leave.

"I guess I'll let you turn in," Jake said. "It's getting late."

"Yes, it is. Thank you for coming over. I had a great time."

"We'll have to do it again."

"We will."

Jake smiled and gathered his things. Olivia met him at the door and accepted his open arms for a hug.

"I really did enjoy tonight, Jake," she said. "This was just what the doctor ordered."

"I'm happy to hear that." They pulled apart and Jake hesitated before wiping a few strands of hair out of her face. "You deserve to smile that gorgeous smile all the time, Olivia. I hope you'll give me a chance to make you happy."

For the first time since Olivia had become involved with Fitz, she felt a little flutter of excitement over getting to know someone else. Jake was new, uncomplicated and sweet. He made her laugh. She liked him.

"Good night," she whispered as she leaned up to kiss his cheek. "Until next time."

"Until then, Olivia Pope. Sweet dreams."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_Olivia's arms cut through the water as she swam from one end of the pool to the other. Her muscles were beginning to tire and she had lost count of how long she had been going back and forth, but she didn't care. She need the distraction. She needed something to take her mind off of him. _

_When she had agreed to help Cyrus on the Grant campaign, she hadn't expected to be so affected by the candidate. Of course, she knew that he was handsome and charming, with a head full of curly hair and a smile that made women drool. But Olivia wasn't the drooling type. Her job was to come in, fix the problems, and leave._

_But after her very first encounter with him, she realized that things wouldn't be so simple with Fitzgerald Grant. She had originally thought that he was sizing her up because he thought she was not qualified for the task. Her feelings were supported when Cyrus told her that Fitz wanted to fire her. At first, she was upset. He seemed like just another pretty boy who was threatened by the presence of a strong, opinionated woman. She had intended to give him a piece of her mind, and then he dropped the bomb on her. When they were standing alone in the hallway, and his eyes swooped over her body like he was hungry and she was a meal, she knew. She knew that he wasn't intimidated; he was turned on. And damn it if she wasn't turned on, too._

_For the rest of the week, she had gone out of her way to avoid him. She played it off to Cyrus that she didn't want to get any more on Fitz's bad side. Of course, the real reason was that she wasn't sure that she trusted herself with him. She had never felt such a strong pull to someone, and it was just her luck that the one person she felt drawn to was a very married father who was running for President of the United States. He couldn't have been more unattainable if he tried._

_Olivia swam a few more laps then rested her arms on the edge of the pool. She pushed her goggles atop her head and took a few calming breaths. She heard the door open and frowned, wondering who else might be up so late. When she turned around and saw none other than Fitz Grant, her breath caught in her throat. He wasn't wearing a shirt, so she got a clear view of his hairy chest. He looked to be in pretty good shape with a relatively flat stomach and some clearly defined muscles in his arms. His curly hair was slicked back, as usual, and his flip-flops made a smacking noise across the floor. He looked preoccupied and it wasn't until he was at the pool's edge that he noticed someone else there. When their eyes met, a slow smile came across his lips._

"_Ms. Pope," he said. "Taking a late night swim?"_

"_Yes," she said in a voice that sounded much weaker than she intended. She cleared her throat and nodded. "Yes. It helps me relax."_

"_Me too. Great minds think alike."_

_He smiled but Olivia was too nervous to smile back. She watched as Fitz tossed his towel onto a chair and slid off his sandals. He eased into the other side of the pool and submerged himself completely before coming up for air._

"_Well, I'll give you some privacy," she said, as she almost hoisted herself out._

"_Don't go," he said. "I don't want to run you off. It's a big enough pool for both of us."_

_Olivia's eyes met his and a strong undercurrent of desire passed between them. She knew that she should leave, but she went against her instinct and stayed. She rested her back against the wall of the pool, and Fitz mirrored her position from the other end._

"_I'm sorry," he said after a few seconds of silence. "For the other day. For firing you, and then for making you uncomfortable."_

"_You didn't," she told him. "I mean, you did fire me but you didn't make me uncomfortable."_

_Fitz nodded slowly, taking her in and making her feel like she was completely on display for him. If her entire body wasn't submerged in water, she would have felt naked._

"_Cyrus speaks very highly of you. You must be pretty special to earn his approval. That man is a curmudgeon if I've ever seen one."_

_Olivia cracked a smile. "He's not so bad once you get to know him."_

"_And what about you, Olivia Pope? What will you be like once I get to know you?"_

"_Who says you will?"_

_Her response seemed to please him and he smirked._

"_You're going to make me work for it?" he asked in a low tone that was way too sexy for their situation. Olivia gulped but played it off with a casual shrug._

"_You're the candidate, Governor Grant. I think it's important that I get to know you, not the other way around."_

"_Well why don't I race you for it? One lap to and from. If I win, you have to tell me something about yourself."_

"_And if I win?"_

"_I won't ask any more questions."_

_Olivia sank a little more into the pool until her mouth was covered by the water. She stared at Fitz, who raised an eyebrow in challenge. She rose back up and nodded._

"_Okay, you're on. But be warned that I was a state champion swimmer in high school," she said._

"_Consider me afraid."_

_He motioned for her to join him on his end and she hesitated before making the leisurely swim down to him. She stayed a few feet away from him and she could still feel the heat radiating from his body. She lowered her goggles and set herself against the wall._

"_On three," Fitz said. "And no cheating."_

"_I don't cheat, Governor."_

"_Okay, one, two, three."_

_As soon as the last word left his lips, Olivia pushed off the wall and swam so hard that her arms began to hurt. She peeked beside her to see that Fitz was slightly ahead of her. When they reached the other wall and turned around, Olivia lost some of her momentum and the only thing she could see of him were his feet. She pushed herself hard until she came to the other side, where Fitz was already waiting._

"_Looks like I win," he said with a large grin. "State champion be damned."_

"_I've been swimming for an hour already," she said with a slight frown. "I'm tired. Catch me when my arms are fresh and I'll embarrass you."_

"_I don't doubt that."_

_The fact that he was so happy with himself actually caused a little tug of a smile on Olivia's lips, which he seemed to notice._

"_So, what do you want to know?" she asked._

_Without hesitation, Fitz asked, "do you have a boyfriend?"_

_Olivia knew she shouldn't have been surprised by the question but somehow, she was._

"_No."_

"_How is that possible?"_

"_I believe the deal was that you get to ask me one question. That's two."_

"_You're not a psycho, are you?"_

"_Not that I'm aware of."_

"_Do you have 15 cats or something?"_

"_No cats. No animals of any kind."_

"_Then I don't understand. You're smart, obviously good at your job." His blue eyes seemed to be even brighter than usual as the pool water reflected off them and her face heated up as he looked at her. "And you must know that you're beautiful."_

_Olivia again sank lower so that he didn't see the blush of her cheeks. Once the burning died down a little, she allowed her face to come back up again._

"_I don't know," she said softly. "I guess I just haven't found the right person yet."_

_Her words hung over them for several tense seconds before she decided that she couldn't take any more. _

"_Good night, Governor. Enjoy your swim."_

_She turned away from him and grabbed the pole on the stairs. She slowly walked out of the pool, revealing the back side of her black bikini to Fitz. She could practically feel his eyes burning a hole into her ass, an ass that was well-shaped from years of swimming. She pulled off her goggles and swim cap and wrapped her towel around her body. She slipped on her sandals and looked over her shoulder one last time at the governor. He hadn't moved from his spot in the pool and his eyes were trained on her in a look that she could only describe as lustful. _

_It was definitely time to leave._

...

Olivia pulled herself out of the pool and took several deep breaths to calm herself down. She had taken to swimming every morning and every night for at least an hour and her body ached from all the activity. But she had no plans to stop. It was the only way to clear her head. She sat on the edge of the pool and let herself drip for several minutes until she heard her phone in the distance. She dried herself off and found her phone buried underneath her clothes.

"Huck," she said, trying not to sound out of breath.

"I did that background check you wanted, Liv," he said. "Jake Ballard is clean. Not even a speeding ticket."

Relief washed over her body.

"Great. Thanks."

"Wait," he said in that warning tone. "I've learned not to trust anybody that seems too perfect. So I did a little extra research."

"What kind of extra research?" There was silence on the other end. "Huck?"

"I broke into his house."

Olivia sighed and sat down. "Huck..."

"He's been watching you, Liv."

She frowned in confusion.

"What?"

"He's got about ten monitors in his living room. I turned them all on to see what he was watching, and every single screen was a different part of your house. Your living room, your closets, your bathroom, your bedroom." Olivia was shocked into silence so Huck continued. "He's got DVDs and pictures of you. Sleeping, working...showering."

She stared straight ahead as she tried to let the information sink into her brain. For once, she thought she had found someone straightforward and simple. Someone without an agenda or a mental problem. But once again, her gut had betrayed her.

"Meet me at his place in one hour," she said.

"Are we...?"

"I'm about to let you off your leash, Huck."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Jake returned from his late night meeting with the President and whistled as he walked into the front door of his condominium. His fingers automatically went for the electronic alarm system key pad, and he frowned when he realized that the alarm was not on. He ran through his memories from earlier in the morning to try to recall whether he had turned it on when he left for the day. He shrugged, coming to conclusion that he hadn't armed it, and he closed and locked the door behind him.

He flicked on the lights to the kitchen and whistled a little more as he opened the fridge and pulled out a beer. He grabbed a bottle open and flipped the top off. He took a swig and leafed through some of the mail that he'd placed on the counter, before walking into the living room. He turned the light on and nearly choked on his beer when he saw Olivia Pope sitting on his couch, facing him, with the slightest hint of a smile on her face.

"Olivia," he said, unable to hide his surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"We need to talk," she said in an eerily calm voice.

"How...how did you get in here?"

Jake felt the presence of another person behind him and when he turned around, he jumped back as he made eye contact with a scary-looking, heavily-bearded man.

"This is Huck," Olivia said. "He's my friend. He's very protective of me, and also very dangerous. So I suggest that when I ask you a question, you answer truthfully. Or else, things might get ugly."

Jake spun back around to look at Olivia and he held up his hands in surrender.

"Olivia, I don't know what the hell's going on here but this is not okay. You both need to leave or I'm calling the police."

"No, I don't think you will," she stated matter-of-factly. "Not unless you want the cops and your superiors at the Department of Defense to know that you've been using government equipment to spy on me."

All the color drained from his face and he started to shake his head. Then he felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck and he was completely paralyzed. He fell to his knees while Huck pinched a particular spot between his neck and shoulder.

"Wrong answer," Olivia said. "So let's start over, shall we? And keep in mind that Huck hasn't killed or tortured anyone in several weeks so he's itching to let loose."

Huck bent over so that he was in Jake's line of vision and he gave him his most menacing smile. Jake gulped.

"How long have you been watching me?" Olivia asked.

"Olivia, please, let's talk about this in a reasonable fashion." Huck's fingers pinched a little harder and Jake howled in pain.

"You must not have heard me so I'll ask again. How long have you been watching me?"

"A few weeks."

"Why? Are you a stalker?"

"No!"

"Have you been watching me in my private moments, Captain?" she asked. Her eyes got a little darker as any trace of amusement or tolerance disappeared. "When I shower? When I change clothes?"

"No, I never did that," he said in a desperate tone. "Every time you did something like that, I'd turn the monitor off."

"How noble of you. I've already collected all your DVDs and photos so if you were recording me to get your rocks off, you'll be disappointed."

"I swear, that's not why I did it."

"Then why did you?"

Jake hesitated and briefly looked at Huck, who was staring at him with a look that could only be described as murderous.

"Someone hired me," he admitted in a low voice.

"Why? To dig up dirt on me?"

"No."

"To kill me?"

"No! Olivia...God..."

"Then why, Jake?"

He hesitated for a moment too long and Huck punched him in the face. Jake crumpled to the floor and moaned in pain. He felt the familiar taste of blood in his mouth and before he could even pull himself up, Huck was on top of him with his hands on his collar.

"The longer you take to come clean, the more fun I get to have," Huck said in a grave voice.

"Why were you watching me?" Olivia asked.

"Just to watch!" Jake answered. "Not to collect information, not to do anything to you. Just to watch, I swear."

"Who hired you?"

"I...I can't say."

"Wrong answer," Huck said, and he punched him again, this time in the nose. Jake covered his face, which was pounding in agony, and Huck punched him a third time. Blood dripped to the floor and Jake looked to Olivia and pleaded.

"Liv, please," he said before spitting out some blood.

"Who hired you?"

"I can't tell you! I'd get killed for opening my mouth."

"That's ironic," Huck said. "Because you might get killed for _not_ opening your mouth."

Huck raised his fist to strike again and Jake threw his hands up to protect himself before shouting, "someone in the government."

Huck looked to Olivia, who raised a single eyebrow in question.

"Okay," she said slowly. "I'll list names and you tell me when I've come across the right one. Does that sound fair?"

Jake nodded his head and Olivia crossed one leg over the other as she began to run off names.

"Hollis Doyle."

He shook his head.

"Cyrus Beene."

Another shake of the head.

"Edison Davis."

Another shake of the head.

Olivia frowned.

"Sally Langston."

Jake shook his head again.

"Mellie Grant."

He looked away for just a second, then shook his head. It was then that Olivia realized that she had come very close to the right answer, and her heart plummeted when she gave her final guess.

"Fitz," she said softly.

Jake just stared at her, neither confirming nor denying, and that was enough for her. She held her head in his hands and stayed frozen in that position for several long minutes. When she sat up again, her game face was back on.

"How often do you meet with him?" she asked.

"Three times a week."

"Where?"

"In the Oval Office."

"Is that where you were tonight?"

"Yes."

Olivia motioned to Huck, who released Jake and pushed him roughly to the floor. He then raided Jake's pocket and pulled out a cell phone. He tossed it to Olivia and she went through it before tossing it back to Jake.

"Call him," she directed. "And tell him that something's come up and you need to meet him in a more secure location, where there are no cameras and no chance of someone listening in at the door. Tell him you want to meet in the Rose Garden."

"But..."

"No buts, Captain. Call him. Now."

Jake's fingers trembled and his face pounded as he called the number that the President have given him. The secretary picked up and transferred him to Fitz.

"Captain," Fitz answered. "I wasn't expecting to hear from you so soon."

"Yes, sir, I apologize," Jake said, trying to control his shaky voice. Huck stared menacingly and then produced a gun from his waistband. He made a show of releasing the safety and Jake swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Jake?" Fitz asked. "What's going on?"

"Sir, I have reason to believe that the privacy of our meetings may have been...compromised. I think we need to meet someone else."

"Somewhere else? The Oval is perfectly secure."

"There's a camera in there, sir, and people may be listening at the door. I have some very private things I need to discuss with you."

There was a pause on the other end before Fitz asked, "About Olivia?"

Jake's eyes locked with Olivia, who was staring at him with a coldness he hadn't seen before.

"Yes, sir."

"Okay, fine. Do you have a suggestion for another meeting place?"

"The Rose Garden, sir. It's open so we'll be able to see anyone who might be hanging around. And there aren't any cameras as far as I know."

"Okay. We'll meet there tomorrow at 9:30."

"Thank you, sir."

Jake hung up and told Olivia, "tomorrow at 9:30."

"Good. Until then, you'll call in sick at your job," she told him. "And Huck will be here to keep an eye on you and make sure you don't do anything stupid before I get the chance to speak to the President."

She nodded to Huck, who put his gun back in his waistband and roughly jerked Jake up.

"Looks like we're roomies," he said with a sick smile.

"Olivia, this really isn't necessary. I won't say anything, I promise."

She gave him a tight-lipped smile. "Dissemble all these screens, Captain. Huck, when you're done here, will you come over to my place and get rid of the cameras?"

"Sure thing, Liv."

Olivia stood and closed her white jacket around her slim frame. She turned on her heels to leave but stopped when Jake called out to her.

"Just one question," he said. "I suppose this should be obvious to me by now, but...is there something going on between you and the President?"

She looked over her shoulder and gave him a sad smile. "No."

_Not anymore. _


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The Rose Garden was quiet and peaceful, and Fitz stood amongst the flowers with his hands in his pockets. He rocked back and forth slightly, hoping to portray the image of calm. Truthfully, his heart was hammering in his chest and it had been ever since Jake told him that there was a problem with Olivia. Fitz's mind couldn't help but wonder to all kinds of thoughts, like whether someone had hurt her or had become privy to his spying and was planning to use it against her. He knew that he shouldn't care, but he did.

When he heard the sounds of steps on the cement, he squared his shoulders and put on his business face in preparation of meeting Jake. Only when he turned around, it wasn't Jake. It was Olivia, looking like a vision in her cream-colored coat, gray slacks that were tailored to show just enough of that plump butt to make him drool, and some deadly six-inch heels. Her hair was straight, a style that she seemed to be wearing more often, with some bangs pushed off to the side. She stopped walking when she was about five feet away from him and they stared at one another. As usual, she took his breath away. But he couldn't show her that.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked in a voice that was shakier than he would have liked.

"Jake is detained," Olivia said with a hint of a smirk. "He sent me in his place. I hope you don't mind."

Fitz narrowed his eyes as she said Jake's name. "How do you know Jake?"

"Oh, Fitz, please. Don't underestimate my intelligence. I know that you sent him to cozy up to me so you could keep tabs on my every move."

"Cozy up to you?" he asked as the anger in his veins began to simmer. "Of course. I should have known that no man can get close without fucking you."

Olivia chuckled, but it was completely humorless. She shook her head in disbelief and stepped a little closer to him.

"Who I _fuck_," she said in a low tone, putting an incredible amount of emphasis on the word 'fuck,' "is none of you business. There is no part of my life that is any of your concern as you have made it abundantly clear that you don't want me. So stop stalking me. Stop spying on me. And let me go. Or you'll regret it."

"Will I?" he asked with a dry laugh of his own. "And just what are you going to do to me, Ms. Pope? Tell the police that the President is watching you? They'll put you in the nuthouse before you even know what happened."

"You're right, Fitz. Nobody would believe me if I told them that. Nobody would believe anything I would have to say about you. But I can do something that would hurt you a lot worse than that."

Fitz stared at her with a questioning eyebrow and Olivia smiled.

"I'll disappear," she promised with a whisper. She stepped even closer so that her nose was almost touching his chin. "I'll pack my shit, close my business, and vanish. Then, you won't be able to watch me. You won't be able to call me or talk to me or do anything to me because I'll be out of your life, for good. And unless you're ready for that...unless you're ready to _never_ see me again, this has to stop."

As much as Fitz wanted to act like her threat didn't do anything to him, the mere thought of never seeing her again almost crippled him. Even if all they did nowadays was fight, even if the most prominent emotions he felt around her were anger and hurt, he couldn't just quit her cold turkey. She was his drug and he was hopelessly addicted.

Olivia knew that she had called his bluff when he could only stare at her. She moved away from him again and shook her head like she didn't recognize the man in front of her.

"I loved you enough to let you go. Why can't you do the same for me?"

When he didn't answer, she turned around and began to walk away. Panic gripped every piece of Fitz's body and he called after her.

"I can't," he said. She stopped but didn't turn around. "I can't let you go. Don't you know that by now? Don't you think I've tried? Do you think I want to feel this pathetic? Do I think I want to think about you every second of the day?" His voice started to rise and he walked towards her. "You're in me, Olivia. You're a part of me! How the hell am I supposed to let you go?"

Her head fell and he waited until she turned around to face him again. Even in the darkness of night, he could see that her eyes looked wet. He almost apologized, almost pulled her into his arms and comforted her. But he didn't.

"How do you see this ending, Fitz?" she asked. "What's the final chapter in our story? Do you expect that you'll just give it all up, Mellie will smile and give you the divorce you want and you and I will fly off on our magic carpet into the sunset?" Her voice wavered as she spoke and she wiped a tear before it could escape. "This. Isn't. Real. You and I are a fantasy."

"It feels pretty damn real when you scream my name."

Olivia threw her hands up in frustration. "Yes, we're good in bed together. So what?"

"Don't act like that's all we have, Olivia."

"Isn't it? Because in between you calling me a mistress and a whore, you also basically told me that you only wanted me to screw. So sorry if I misunderstood that," she said in a sarcastic tone.

Fitz rubbed his head and paced back and forth a few times.

"I don't know what you want me to do," he said softly.

"I want you to move on. And I want you to let me do the same."

"I don't think I can."

"You have to. We can't keep going back and forth, pulling each other apart. We're not good for one another, Fitz. This isn't healthy. We both deserve to be happy and we can't be that as long as we're together."

Fitz watched her and he could see the exhaustion in her eyes. She was tired: tired of him and them and everything.

"But I can't be happy without you," he admitted.

He didn't bother to stop the tears that fell and he didn't move when Olivia came close to him again. She put her warm hands on his cheeks and wiped her thumbs across his face.

"Fitz," she whispered in that voice he loved. "You have a family that loves you and a country that's depending on you. You don't need me."

"Why do I always put yourself down like that?" he asked in a tone that matched hers. "Of course I need you. You make me want to be better, Liv. You make me want to be the person you think I am. You make me happy."

"Your destiny is far greater than me."

"My destiny has always been decided for me. From the day I was born, people had picked out everything I was going to do and how. My parents picked my school, my career, hell, my dad hand-picked Mellie to be my wife. I've walked through my whole life like a zombie, Liv. You," he said he placed his hands on her hips and pulled her right up to his body, "are the only thing that makes me alive. _You_. Please don't take that away from me."

Olivia looked into his soul with those big brown eyes and he felt like she could see right through him. A shiver went up his spine when she pulled his face down to hers and kissed him. Her soft lips pressed against his mouth and he felt like he was having his first sip of water after a year-long drought. His hands gripped her hips tighter and he tried to deepen the kiss, but she pulled away. Her eyes were still closed as she shook her head.

"We can't," she whispered. "I'm sorry."

She detached herself from his body and looked at him as she backed away. With every step she took, his heart shattered into pieces. He couldn't watch her walk out of his life, so he turned around and listened as the sounds of her heels hitting the ground got further and further away, until he was alone in silence. He looked down at the ground, then his eye caught the reflection of the moonlight bouncing against his American flag pin. He undid the pin and looked at it, thinking of the day Olivia gave it to him. It was the last thing he had of her, the only thing she hadn't taken from him. He wondered if he should get rid of it to cut ties once and for all. But as he raised his hand to throw the pin as far as his arm would allow, he couldn't. No matter what Olivia said, he couldn't just forget her. So he kissed the pin, fastened it back into place and squared his shoulders. It was time to get back to the business of being President.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

_Fitz, Cyrus and Olivia sat around the conference room in a cozy hotel, bouncing ideas back and forth for Fitz's upcoming interview on a small New Hampshire TV station. They had been going at it for hours and as the minutes on the clock ticked by, the energy in the room began to wane. By the time Olivia was on her fourth mock interview, Cyrus wiped his face and shook his head._

"_I'm sorry, guys," he said. "I don't mean to be a party pooper, but these old bones aren't what they used to be."_

"_Don't tell me you're turning in," Fitz said in a teasing tone._

"_Got to. Some of us have to get our beauty sleep."_

_Cyrus patted Olivia's thigh and told them good night before he left the room. Fitz sank a little further into the sofa, watching Olivia squirm across from him. Her brown eyes were wide with nervousness and it almost made him smile._

"_Well, I guess that's my cue, too," she said. She started to stand but Fitz held up his hand to stop her._

"_Don't leave. We still have to work on my answers."_

"_I think you'll be okay, Governor."_

"_Okay?" he smirked. "I thought you told me I had to be 'utterly charming and quick-witted.'"_

_Olivia cracked a smile and nodded. "You do. But you've already got that down."_

"_Please stay, Olivia." He stared at her in a way that he knew drove women crazy and it seemed to work on her because she slowly sat back down. Fitz smiled and stood up, heading to the bar._

"_Would you like a drink?" he asked._

"_I don't think that's such a wise idea. You need to be completely focused for your interview tomorrow and even the appearance of inebriation would be devastating."_

"_Who said anything about me drinking?"_

_He poured some scotch into a glass and then returned to Olivia. When he handed it to her, she turned up her nose._

"_Brown liquor's not really my thing," she told him._

"_Humor me."_

_Fitz sat down across from her again and he watched in amusement as she looked at the liquor like it was acid. _

"_This smells like my uncle," she said, and they both burst into laughter. _

"_Your uncle has good taste," he said, still chuckling. _

"_Are you trying to get me drunk, Governor?"_

"_I'm not, not trying to get you drunk."_

"_Why would you want to do that?"_

_Fitz shrugged slowly. "Because. You work so hard for me all the time and I never see you just let loose. Relax. I want to know what that Olivia Pope is like."_

"_She's a lot of fun, actually. But I'm working, and this is inappropriate."_

"_Okay, so let's make it appropriate. You ask me a question and if I answer to your satisfaction, you take a drink."_

"_And if you don't answer to my satisfaction?"_

"_You get to spank me."_

_Olivia's eyes nearly bugged out of her head and Fitz laughed loudly._

"_Oh my God, you should see your face. You don't really have to spank me. Not unless you want to."_

"_What do you think Mellie would think about this conversation?" she asked in a desperate attempt to deflect some of the sexual tension. _

"_I doubt she'd care," he shrugged. "Which you should know, since you're the one that outed our floundering marriage to everyone in the campaign."_

"_Well, you're still married. And asking me to spank you is..."_

"_Inappropriate, yes I know. I'm starting to think that's your favorite word."_

"_When it comes to you, that's my only word."_

_Fitz smiled at her and she couldn't help but smile back. He clapped his hands and sat up like he was trying to get his head into the game._

"_Okay," he said. "Ask me a question."_

"_All right." Olivia put her drink down and situated herself into a proper position. She put on her serious face. "Governor Grant, please talk a little bit about your stance on immigration and how that differs from your opponent."_

"_Well, I believe we need to put our efforts to creating non-punitive immigration reform," he said, matching her serious expression. "We are a country of immigrants and we shouldn't punish those who come here to start better lives for themselves and their families. We also need to make the process of becoming a citizen much less taxing so that the hardworking people who come to this country can enjoy the full benefits of citizenship."_

_Olivia stared at him for a moment, then nodded and smiled. "Good. To the point but informative."_

"_That sounds like you need to take a drink, then."_

_She rolled her eyes but picked up the glass. She sniffed it and grimaced._

"_Don't smell it, Olivia. Just drink it."_

_She continued to frown but took a mouthful and swallowed. As soon as it was down her throat, she gasped for air._

"_Oh my God! How can you drink that?"_

"_It was not that bad. Stop being such a baby."_

"_This is disgusting. If we're going to play this game, you'll have to give me some wine or something."_

_Fitz was more than happy to accommodate her and he replaced her scotch with the white wine that was stocked in the conference room fridge. He watched eagerly as Olivia's full lips met the rim of the glass and she took a few gulps._

"_Much better," she said. "Although that wine tastes like toilet water."_

"_So you're a wine snob, I see. You know I have a vineyard back in California. I bet you'd like my wine." He hadn't meant to say it as suggestively as it came out, but he could tell that Olivia caught the double meaning when her cheeks flushed just a bit. But it could have been the booze._

"_We need to get back on task here," she said. "They're going to ask you a lot more questions. About education, civil rights, women's rights..."_

"_And I know how to answer all of them. You've trained me well."_

"_Oh, then I guess I can leave now."_

_But she didn't move, and Fitz knew that she was just looking for an excuse to stay with him, just like he was. She took a dainty sip of her wine and tried not to look at him._

"_What's your favorite food?" Fitz asked._

"_Hmm...probably mashed potatoes."_

"_Really? For someone as sophisticated as you, I expected a much more pretentious answer."_

_Olivia chuckled and shrugged. "Believe it or not, Governor, I'm a fairly simple woman."_

"_Oh, I doubt that."_

"_I am. I like all the regular things women like: nice clothes, sappy movies and a good cuddle on the couch."_

"_I like cuddling on the couch, too."_

"_I bet you do," she said in a low, deep voice. And it made Fitz twitch. He could listen to her talk all day. _

"_Do you smoke?" he asked._

_She screwed up her face in confusion. "No. Why?"_

"_Your voice," he said softly. "It's got this kind of...husky...quality to it." He paused before adding, "it's fucking sexy."_

_Olivia stopped breathing momentarily and the air between them became impossibly thick. She shifted, tucking her legs underneath her, then sipped her drink again._

"_You need to touch Mellie tomorrow," she said in a voice that was barely above a whisper. "During your interview, I mean."_

"_How exactly would you like for me to touch her?"_

_She finished off the last of her wine and held the glass in both hands. She stared at Fitz, and he stared right back._

"_Put your arm around her," she said. "Hold her close. Whisper in her ear. Kiss her cheek. Make her smile."_

"_Is that how you like to be touched?"_

_Olivia smiled and shook her head. "How I like to be touched is none of your business."_

"_I want it to be my business."_

"_Why are you doing this? Why are you trying to tempt me and tempt yourself like this?"_

"_Because you tease me every day," he said in a hoarse whisper. "Every time you look at me with those pretty eyes. Every time you purse your lips and make me think about what you might do to me with those lips. Every time you walk out of a room and I can see your ass move. You drive me crazy."_

_She closed her eyes and put a death grip on that wine glass. She licked her lips and then suddenly stood and shook her head like she was clearing the cobwebs._

"_I need to go. And so do you. You have a big day tomorrow."_

"_Yeah I guess I do."_

"_Get some rest, Governor. Good night."_

"_Good night, Ms. Pope."_

_He turned around to watch her leave, then he followed her movements through the window that let him see the hallway. As she walked towards the elevator, his eyes fell to the aforementioned ass, which looked like the perfect shape for both his hands to grab onto. He was hypnotized as her hips swayed and just as he was about to berate himself for looking at her yet again, she looked over her shoulder and caught his gaze. She had the slightest hint of a smile on her face, then she disappeared. _

_Fitz fell back onto the couch and covered his face with his hands. If he hadn't been sure before, it was at that moment that he knew. Underneath all the Prada and political correctness, Olivia Pope was sensual and sexy. And she was going to be the death of him._


	8. Chapter 8

**Let me make something perfectly clear. This is my story. If you don't like it, don't read it. If you have your own ideas, write your own story. If you are not skilled enough to write your own story, then shut up. **

**And a warning, the next chapter will be upgraded to an M rating.**

Chapter 8

Cyrus noticed a change in Fitz. Of course, Fitz had been a different person ever since the shooting and finding out about Defiance. He had been angry and distrustful of everyone around him. He had taken to drinking too much and for the most part, was an insufferable asshole. But over the past few weeks, Fitz had changed yet again. Rather than being angry, he was sullen and quiet. He paid attention in meetings, made good decisions and seemed much less distracted than before. But his sadness was unmistakable, and even Cyrus was beginning to feel sorry for him.

"Sir, is everything okay?" he asked as they sat in the Oval Office and read over some military reports.

"It's fine," was the short answer.

"I can't help but notice that you seem different, Mr. President. And not in a good way. Don't get me wrong, I didn't enjoy being ignored and yelled at. But at least when you were angry, I knew you said some emotions. Now you just act like you're a robot."

Fitz sighed and put his paperwork down. He looked at Cyrus, the man that was quite likely his best friend, which was a pretty sad statement in and of itself.

"It's over, Cy," he admitted. "I know Olivia and I have broken up and gotten back together more times than some silly teenagers in high school, but this time, I really think it's over."

"Well, sir, that's probably for the best."

"Is it? Is it best for me to feel like a shell of a person?"

"It's best because you're the Leader of the Free World and you've got a country to run. You've got a family and a newborn baby and as much as I love Olivia, you can't cry over her forever." Cyrus could tell that the words he was speaking were going in one and out of the other. He scoffed and shook his head. "Pardon my French, Mr. President, but what the hell kind of voodoo did Olivia Pope put on you?"

"I don't know," Fitz said with a sad laugh. "But she did, didn't she? She put me under her spell and I can't break it."

Cyrus put his papers down and stood to stretch his legs. He had to think. He felt like he'd spent the better part of his term as Chief of Staff trying to referee between Fitz and Olivia. If he had known that playing a romance counselor was part of the job, he might have made some different decisions.

"What will it take for you to forget her, sir?" he asked. "What can I do? Do you want some other woman to distract you?"

"No," he said immediately. "I don't want any other woman. I want her."

"What about marriage counseling for you and Mellie?"

"Ha. Cyrus, please. You know Mellie. The only way that I could love her again is if I had lost my memory when I got shot. She's so cold that my dick freezes whenever I get near her."

"So, what? You're just gonna pine away for her for the rest of your life?"

Fitz sighed and relaxed into his chair. He shook his head and shrugged.

"Probably. You know, I think I'd rather spend the rest of my days thinking about her and knowing what we had than trying to recreate it with anyone else. That's what amazing she is. That's what she does to me."

Cyrus looked at him like he was an alien.

"Sir, perhaps I don't understand because I don't like vaginas. And right now, I've never been happier to be gay."

The two men looked at one another and then started laughing. They laughed really hard, until their faces turned red. Fitz was still catching his breath when we spoke again.

"Cy, let me give you a piece of advice. If you ever have sex with a woman, don't let it be Olivia Pope. You'll never want another woman again."

"Trust me, sir, I'll stay far away."

Fitz still had a hint of a smile when he stood and took a deep breath.

"Thanks for the laugh, Cyrus," he said. "I think I'm going to take a walk and clear my head."

"All right, sir. I'll leave you to it then."

Cyrus let himself out and had a bounce in his step as he walked towards his own office. His relationship with Fitz had been so awful for the past several months that he barely knew how to contain himself now that it seemed like he was back in the President's good graces. He should have known the easiest way to that man's heart was through Olivia Pope.

He whistled and said hello to a few staffers and interns and then waltzed into his office. He had a few things on his desk: various papers and memos that he needed to read and sign before he passed them on to Fitz. At the bottom of the stack was a manila envelope with nothing written on the outside. He flipped it open and frowned when he found an unmarked DVD and a jump drive. He put the jump drive in and patiently waited for it to load on his computer. When the items were available, a folder entitled "Photos" opened. The thumbnails were too small to see, but once Cyrus opened the first one, his heart stopped.

The first one was a photo of Olivia and Fitz. Judging from the youthful looks on their faces and their hairstyles, it appeared to have been taken on the campaign trail. They were standing in what looked like a hotel hallway. Olivia's back was against the wall and Fitz stood directly in front of her with his hips pressed into her body. His hand was in her hair and the looks on their faces told the story of two people very much in love, or lust, or both.

Cyrus flipped through the pictures, of which there seemed to be thousands. There were intimate photos of them staring, touching, and even a few of them kissing when they surely thought that nobody was around. Cyrus rubbed his hand over his face and felt the prickle of panic in his veins. He yanked the jump drive out and put the DVD in, and once it started playing, he knew that things were about to get very difficult. He only let it play for a few minutes before he jerked it out of the DVD drive and threw it back into the envelope.

He stormed back to the Oval and waited for Fitz to return. When the President did come back, Cyrus hated to tell him what he knew because his face looked more serene that he'd been in quite some time. But Cyrus knew that this was too big to keep a secret.

"Sir, we have a problem."

"What else is new?" Fitz asked with a shrug.

"No, sir, this is a very big problem."

Fitz stopped and looked at him with a worried expression.

"Okay," he said slowly. "Are you going to give me more information or just leave me in suspense?"

"We need Olivia on this, Fitz," he said. He only called him Fitz when things were dire.

"No. No Olivia. We're trying to get over each other and that's going to be significantly more difficult if I have to work with her. Surely, there's someone else in this town who can help us manage a crisis."

"I'm sure there is, sir, but this directly involves Olivia."

"What the hell is it, Cyrus?"

"You may want to sit down."

...

Olivia sat behind the big wooden desk in her office, pretending to work while she daydreamed. Every single one of her thoughts for the past three weeks had revolved around Fitz. She thought about their good days, their bad days, the love and the hate. Her heart was so wrapped up in him that sometimes she felt like she was suffocating without him. Some days, she picked up her phone with the intention of calling him and saying that she just wanted to be with him and that she would take him if any way she could, even if it meant being the other woman. But then, she always thought better of it and put the phone down. It didn't stop her heart from wanting, though.

"Liv."

Her head jerked to the sound of her name and she saw Harrison giving her a tentative smile.

"You okay? I called your name about five times," he said.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I was thinking."

"I could tell."

She gave him a sheepish smile and tried to get her mind right. "What's up?"

"Just wanted to tell you that you may want to turn up the news. It's a story on that you'll want to see."

With that, he left her to herself. She had muted the TV out of fear or hearing something about Fitz, but when she saw the headlines scrolling across her screens, she immediately knew what Harrison wanted her to see.

"_...and the body has been identified as that of former Chief-of-Staff to Vice President Langston, Billy Chambers. Chambers suddenly left his job over a year ago amidst a scandal involving Amanda Tanner, a young intern that was murdered and found in a lake. Ironically, Chambers's body was found in that same lake and DNA testing positively identified the body as his. Spokespeople from the Assistant District Attorney's Office released a statement saying that Chambers was their number one suspect in the murder of a young journalist who may have uncovered Chambers's relationship with Tanner. Chambers is also the main suspect in the murder of Tanner, who may have been carrying his child. We'll update you with more once we have it. Back to you, Phil."_

Olivia muted the TV again and her mind buzzed with questions. Before she could address any of them, she scurried out of her office and headed straight for Huck. Huck was hunched over his computer, typing away, but he looked up when sensed her presence.

"Huck," she said slowly. "Police just uncovered Billy Chambers's body. You didn't...?"

"No."

A small amount of relief came over. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure, Liv. I didn't kill him."

"Okay."

She nodded and started to walk away, then spun around to him again.

"You didn't kill Jake, either, did you?"

"No. As far as I know, he's still alive."

Not quite the answer she was looking for, but it was as good as she could expect from Huck. Still, her mind was racing for the rest of the day. She didn't know what to make of the situation with Billy, which made her nervous. Surely, the authorities would sniff around his life and dig deep, given his prominence in the government and his connections to other crimes.

She was still agitated when she went home for the night, running through every possible scenario in her head. She finally had to make herself stop when she slid into the tub and the hot water soothed her aching body. She had promised herself a long time ago that once she hit the tub, work stopped. So she rested her head back and leisurely lathered her body with soap. She had almost completely unwound when she heard a knock on her door.

Olivia frowned and strained her neck to find a clock. She knew it was late and she wasn't expecting anyone. She thought about ignoring it but the knocking kept coming, getting louder with each pound. So she pulled herself out of the tub, dried off as quickly as possible and wrapped her nude body in a robe. She tied the robe tight and crossed her arms across her chest as she scurried across the wooden floors to the front door. She didn't know who might be on the other side, but when she looked through the peephole at the face staring back at her, it was the last person she expected.

She looked down to make sure that she was sufficiently covered, then she opened the door for none other than Fitz. He looked tired and worried, but a brief spark of life passed through his eyes when he took in her appearance. She crossed her arms a little tighter out of worry that he might get an eyeful of nipples and whatever he had come to tell her would be completely lost.

"What are you doing here?" she asked softly.

"We need to talk."

"About what?"

"Something's come up and it involves you."

Her mind immediately went to Billy.

"Look, Fitz, if this is about Billy Chambers, I have no idea..."

"It's not about Billy Chambers."

His voice was tight, which made her even more nervous. She moved out of the way to let him in and once the door was closed, he held up a DVD.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Another sex tape. And this time, there's no doubt who's on it."

Olivia's head fell and dread filled her body.

"I'm assuming it's you and me," she said, and he nodded. "And there's no way that we can pretend it's Mellie? Or hell, even Amanda Tanner."

"No, Liv," he said gravely. "Because this time it's not just audio."

Olivia felt the color drain from her face as she took in what he told her.

"You mean..."

"It's you and me on a real-life, live-action, full-color sex tape. So unless Mellie is going to tell people she got a serious tan, no, we can't say it's her."

Olivia thought she might pass out or throw up and as she started to wobble, Fitz steadied her by wrapping her up in his arms.

"Fitz," she whispered.

"I know," he said.

"Who...who sent it? Who has it? Why the hell did they wait this long?"

"I don't know, baby," he said in a soothing tone. Olivia pressed her head into his chest and allowed him to rub her back. "I don't know when or if they're gonna release it. But we need to watch it so we know what we're up against."

Olivia looked up at him with wide eyes. "Have you watched it?"

"No. Cyrus told me about it and I thought we should probably watch it together."

She took a deep breath, completely unprepared for the news that she was caught doing the President on tape and even more unprepared to watch the act with him. She pulled herself away from him and disappeared into the kitchen for a moment. She returned with a bottle of wine and two glasses.

"I think we'll need this," she said.


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry for the delay in posting, guys. I re-worked this chapter several times, so let me know what you think.**

Chapter 9

While Fitz loaded the DVD into the player and opened the wine, Olivia slipped into her bedroom and shut the door. She sat on the edge of her bed and dropped her head into her hands. She couldn't believe the way her life had turned out. As a child, she had always been the goody two-shoes of all her friends, the apple of her parents' eye, the gold standard for behavior. As an adult, not only had she slept with the President of the United States and made many questionable ethical decisions in her work and personal life, but now she was on tape. Having sex. With a married man.

_Oh, how the mighty have fallen_, she thought.

"Liv," Fitz called. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she yelled back. "Just...hang on."

She discarded her robe and searched high and low for the most unsexy thing she owned. All her pajamas were either too silky or too skimpy so she had to throw together an ensemble that would hopefully offset whatever was on that tape. She dug around her drawers and closets until she found a sweatshirt that Edison had left behind. It fit her like a potato sack, which was exactly what she wanted. She had to settle for some shorts that showed way too much thigh and leg, but at least they weren't tight. She pulled on some thermal socks and when she joined Fitz in the living room, he took in her appearance and smiled.

"Is that get-up supposed to turn me off?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Hmmm...I'd say it's not working."

She rolled her eyes and sat on the opposite end of the couch, as far away from him as humanly possible. She picked up one of the glasses of wine and gripped it so tight that were fingers began to hurt.

"You ready?" he asked.

Olivia took a deep breath, then downed the entire glass in a few gulps. When she was finished, she nodded.

"Now I am."

Fitz pushed play but before it even started, Olivia lunged at his arm and he paused it.

"Okay, no, I'm not ready," she said, completely panicked. "I'm really not ready."

He put the remote down and scooted closer to her. He took her hands in hiss and kissed both her palms.

"Liv, we have to see this. Maybe it's not that bad. Or maybe it's horrible. Either way, we have to know what's on this tape so we can know how to deal with it."

She knew he was right, but that didn't stop her heart from racing at the prospect of seeing herself in such a vulnerable and intimate setting. With Fitz, no less.

"Have you ever...you know...watched yourself?" she asked softly. He smiled and shook his head. "Me either."

"Good. Then we'll get to pop each other's cherries."

She knew he was trying to lighten the mood but her nerves wouldn't allow her to smile. He was about to start the video again, but she waved her hands frantically.

"Wait, wait. We need some ground rules."

"Ground rules?"

"Yes. Because we are about to watch ourselves have sex and I think if we don't have some kind of agreement about how we're going to act, things could get very...uncomfortable."

Fitz nodded slowly and scooted back to his end of the couch.

"Okay. Shoot."

"No touching," she said firmly. "And no talking. At all."

He mulled it over for a moment, then asked, "can I look at you?"

"No," she said immediately. "When you look at me...no, no looking."

"Okay, fine. I'll just stare straight ahead and keep my hands and thoughts to myself."

"Thank you."

Olivia took a deep breath and nodded, telling him that was as ready as she was ever going to be. When he hovered his finger over the 'play' button and heard no objection, he started the video again.

_The screen was black for a second, then a crystal clear image of a hotel room came onto the screen. The camera seemed to have been situated in the upper corner of the room so that everything was visible. The large bed was made and looked like it hadn't been slept in at all. Across the bed, a flat-screen TV showed a muted baseball game. _

_The door next to the TV stand opened and Fitz walked into the bedroom, wet and dressed in nothing but a towel around his waist. His hair was damp and slicked back, and he was brushing his teeth. He sat on the edge of the bed and watched the game, all the while working the toothbrush back and forth. He got up and disappeared into the bathroom again, and the sounds of his gargling could be heard on the video. He ran the sink and when he walked back into the room, he was completely nude. Full frontal, butt naked._

_He hummed some tune and took his sweet time pulling on some boxer shorts. He also retrieved a white T-shirt from his luggage, and then he laid down on the bed. He turned the volume up on the TV and the next few minutes were of him lying on his back, relaxing and watching sports. Things were very tame, until the soft sound of a beep drew Fitz's attention to the front door. The door opened slowly and then Olivia walked in, dressed in a gray suit and wheeling a bag behind her. Fitz crossed his arms behind his head and smiled._

"_Hi."_

_Olivia returned the smile and placed her bag against the wall. "Hi."_

"_I was wondering if you were going to come."_

"_I got caught up talking to Cyrus, then I had to wait a respectable amount of time for him to leave so I could be sure he wasn't following me."_

_She toed off her heels and then climbed onto the bed, knees first. She straddled Fitz, who placed his hands on her butt and pulled her down to him. They rubbed noses and teased each other by brushing their lips together but never kissing._

"_Mm, you smell so good," Olivia moaned. She buried her head in his neck and sucked his skin into her mouth._

_Fitz had a blissful smile on his face and he gave her a hard squeeze on the bottom._

"_I showered just for you."_

"_Aw, aren't you sweet?" she chuckled. She kissed his neck a few times before finding his lips. They shared a long, tongue-filled smooch before she pulled her lips away with a 'plop.'_

"_I need to take a shower myself," she said in that husky tone._

_She tried to get up but Fitz pulled her back down and attacked her neck. Olivia's eyes fluttered and she momentarily surrendered._

"_Why?" he groaned. "You taste so delicious. You taste like my sweet baby."_

"_Mm, I probably taste like your sweaty, salty baby. It was so hot today and I feel gross."_

_She managed to extract herself from his grasp and when she got off the bed, he thrust his hips up so she could see the erection straining against his shorts._

"_I'm sure it'll still be there when I get back," she said with a smile._

"_Tease."_

_He put his hands back behind his head and watched as she looked through her bag for toiletries and pajamas._

"_I don't know why you even bother with clothes," he told her. "You know you're just gonna end up naked."_

"_I know. But I at least like to have clothes on hand in case someone shows up and I have to jump out of the window or something."_

"_I wouldn't let you do that. I'd stuff you into the closet or make you hide under the bed."_

_She laughed as she made her way to the bathroom._

"_Ever the romantic, Fitz."_

_As soon as she closed the door, Fitz hopped up. He turned off the TV and started rummaging through his bag, until he pulled out a few candles and placed them around the room: one on each nightstand and two on the desk next to the TV. He list the candles, then turned off all the other lights, which made the room dim but still visible. He produced a small box and placed it on the nightstand next to him, then he lay back down and waited for her._

_After the shower stopped, the sink ran for a few minutes and then the door finally opened. When Olivia reappeared, her hair was pulled into a ponytail and she was dressed in some tiny boy shorts and a tank top that was essentially see-through. She stopped in her tracks when she saw the candles everywhere and a smile crept across her lips._

"_What is this?" she asked._

"_Do you know what today is?"_

_Olivia was still smiling as her eyebrows furrowed in confusion._

"_Uh...no?"_

"_Today," he started as he got out of the bed and discreetly swiped the box from the nightstand. "Is our three-month anniversary."_

_She chucked lightly and shook her head._

"_Fitz..."_

"_It's been exactly three months since you stopped resisting what we have and finally let me into your heart. And your legs, of course."_

"_Of course."_

_He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a big kiss. She threaded her fingers into his hair but before things could go too far, Fitz pulled away._

"_I got you something," he whispered._

_He pulled the box from behind his back and dropped to one knee. Olivia gasped and he took her hand in his. He opened the box and revealed a ring._

"_I know it's not the ring you deserve," he started. "But I want you to have something that represents how much you mean to me. It's a promise ring. Because I promise that you will always have my heart. And whatever happens with this election, my feelings for you won't ever change." He held the ring up and kissed her hand. "Will you wear this for me, Olivia?"_

_She gently took the ring and placed it on her left index finger. Then she pulled him up and kissed him full on the lips. He pulled her into his body and grabbed her butt with both hands. He hoisted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. It was clear that all the talking was over._

_Fitz kept his hands on her butt and slowly ground himself into her, rubbing his erection right on her most sensitive spot. She whimpered, which only spurred him on. He turned them around and lay her on the bed without ever breaking their kiss. His big hands slid up her tank top and their mouths separated just long enough for him to toss the top over his shoulder. With his mouth re-attached to hers, he palmed her breasts and squeezed them lightly. Olivia moaned and pushed her hips into him. He lowered his mouth to one breast while he squeezed the other._

_After Fitz finished worshipping her chest, he moved his mouth down her stomach. He kissed his way down to her thighs, skipping over the part of her that wanted him the most. He licked her inner thighs, then dragged his nose right up the center of her panties._

"_You smell so good."_

_He ran his tongue up the middle and Olivia shuddered visibly._

"_Fitz," she breathed. "Don't tease me."_

_He hooked his fingers into the sides of her panties and very slowly slid them down her legs until they were on the floor. He ran his hands up and down her smooth legs and spread her thighs apart._

"_You're so sexy," he breathed. "And beautiful."_

_He kissed her left leg, starting at her foot and working his way down to her thigh. Then he switched to the right leg and did the same thing. Olivia squirmed underneath him, silently begging him to put his mouth on her. And when he finally did, she arched her back and moaned. She wrapped her fingers in his hair and her legs around his head. His hands gripped her thighs and he went to town on her like she was the most delicious buffet he had ever eaten. The sounds of his licking and smacking and groaning were only overshadowed by Olivia's whimpers._

"_Oh my God," she said in a begging tone. "Just like that."_

_He buried his tongue as deep as he could go and nearly brought her to the brink. Before she could fall off the edge, though, he pulled away and she groaned in frustration._

"_Hold your horses," he said with a teasing smile. _

_Fitz stood in front of the bed and discarded his shirt and shorts. He slowly crawled onto the bed, looking predatory and hungry for her. Before he could lower himself onto her, though, Olivia wrapped her legs around his waist and rolled them over as so that she was on top. She kissed down his chest and then settled between his legs. She gave him a wicked smile, then took him into her mouth._

"_Ahhh, shit," he groaned. He threw his head back and fisted his hands in her hair. He looked down, open-mouthed, as she swallowed him repeatedly. He thrust his hips up a few times and his eyes rolled back into his head when she deep-throated him once, then again. "Liv, you're gonna kill me."_

_She smiled against him, then slowly kissed her way back up his body._

"_I can't kill you yet," she whispered. "You still owe me an orgasm."_

_He pulled her down to him and their mouths connected in a kiss. Olivia planted her hands on his chest, then slowly slid herself down on his erection, causing both of them to groan. Fitz encased her face in both hands and held her in the kiss while she worked him up and down, rotating her hips slowly._

"_Fuck, Liv," he whispered. "You're being a bad girl."_

_Fitz trailed his hands down her back and slapped her butt with both hands. She yelped and he rolled them over so he was on top. As soon as he was in position, he planted his hands on either side of her head and ground his hips into her._

"_Oh, God, baby," she whimpered. "Harder."_

_He didn't need to be told twice. He pulled out, only to slam back into her. She screamed and he did it over and over, until she was panting and clawing at his back. Their bodies slapped together and she dug her heels into the small of his back, driving him further in with every stroke. _

"_Fitz," she groaned. "Don't stop. I'm so close."_

"_Are you gonna come for me, baby?" He started thrusting faster and the momentum of their bodies made the headboard bang against the wall. "Are you gonna come all over this dick?"_

"_Yes," she hissed._

_He yanked her hands above her head and held them with one hand, while his other hand trailed down between her legs. As soon as he touched her clit, Olivia's back shot off the bed._

"_Fitz!" she cried. "I'm gonna come, baby. I'm gonna...uh...uh." Her mouth flew open and her legs held him in a vice grip as her orgasm overtook her. She screamed his name and he pounded into her at a reckless pace. He dropped his head to her neck and his hips jerked as he came, emptying himself inside her. _

_Their bodies stayed glued together as they lay in silence for a few minutes. Fitz began to move first, nuzzling his head into her neck. A slow smile formed on Olivia's face, then she giggled when he bit her. He released her hands and she wrapped her arms around him. They snuggled closely and rubbed their noses together, until Fitz rested his chin between her breasts and smiled lazily at her._

"_I want to get you pregnant," he said in his hoarse, post-sex voice._

_Olivia threw her head back in laughter, which made Fitz laugh._

"_What?" she asked. _

"_You heard me. I want to knock you up so we can have a little girl that looks just like you."_

"_You're crazy."_

_He shrugged. "I'm high. On love."_

"_You're high on sex."_

_Fitz frowned. "Why do you always do that?" he asked._

"_What?"_

"_Try to make this all about sex. You're not just sex to me." He cupped her cheek in one hand and kissed her chin. "You're everything. Please promise me that you won't think like that anymore."_

_Olivia stared at him for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. I promise."_

"_You're my sweet baby. Don't forget that."_

"_I never will."_

_Fitz smiled, then slowly pulled himself off of her. He pulled back the covers and gestured for Olivia to get underneath them. He followed her lead and once she was comfortable on her side, he spooned her from behind. He kissed her shoulder, then her ear._

"_Good night," he whispered._

"_Good night."_

The video finally ended and Olivia couldn't bring herself to look away from the screen. She hadn't known what to expect, but it definitely wasn't _that_. She was filled with every emotion in the book: anxiety, sadness, love, arousal. She had no idea how to handle any of it. The room was thick with tension and she could practically feel Fitz burning a hole into the side of her face.

"Liv?" he asked quietly.

She found the strength to look at him, and his eyes were filled with concern for her. That's how it always was with Fitz. He was more worried about her than he was about himself. And the look on his face nearly brought tears to her eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Rather than answer, Olivia stood and turned off the TV. Then she walked to Fitz and held out her hands. He looked surprised, but accepted her offer. She interlaced her fingers with his and led him to her bedroom. He watched as she pulled off her sweatshirt, revealing a pink T-shirt that hugged her breasts. He gulped but didn't move.

"Will you hold me tonight?" Olivia asked him. He nodded immediately and stripped down to his under shirt and boxers. She turned off the light and they found their way to the bed and under the covers. They hadn't slept in the same bed in nearly two years, yet it took no time for them to fall back into their familiar snuggling position. Olivia lay on her side and Fitz's body fit like a glove behind her. He rubbed his nose along her neck and she shivered.

"I've never been in your bed before," he whispered. "I don't ever want to leave."

In the darkness of the room, Olivia smiled. She pulled Fitz's hand to her lips and kissed it, and she felt him smile against her neck. She knew that they had a lot to discuss, including what on Earth they were going to do about that tape. But for now, she just wanted to be close to him because it felt right. And she was tired of feeling wrong.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

_Olivia's alarm went off at 4:15. It wasn't a constant, obnoxious buzzing, but just a few soft beeps that gradually got louder. In the darkness of the room, she tried to reach over to the nightstand to get her phone, but a heavy weight rested over her abdomen. She frowned in momentary confusion and maneuvered her way to the phone. Once she quieted the alarm, she managed to turn on the lamp next to her. When she turned around to inspect what had been trapped around her body, she gasped._

_There lay Fitz, naked and beautiful. It was then that she realized the night before hadn't been a dream. She hadn't just dreamt holding his hand on the bus and making the choice to join him in his room. She could tell from the tingle between her thighs that she definitely hadn't just imagined all the things he did to her and how he'd made her orgasm harder than she ever had in her life. _

_A tingle went up her spine as she recalled his passionate kisses and dominating attitude. He was a pretty laid-back guy in general, often letting her and Cyrus make the crucial decisions about his campaign. But Olivia now knew that as far as the bedroom was concerned, Fitz was definitely the one in charge. And she liked it._

_Still, she couldn't fight the gnawing feeling of guilt. She'd known from the first day that she and Fitz were attracted to each other and, in her private thoughts, she had even imagined sleeping wit him. But she never thought she actually would. As good as it felt, it was still wrong. He was married, with kids, and running for the highest office in the country and potentially the world. He was the definition of unavailable._

_So with that in mind, Olivia slipped out of the bed and gathered her clothes that had been discarded around the bed. She stuffed her underwear into a side pocket in her luggage, then put her clothes on as quietly as possible. She grabbed her suitcase and tiptoed to the front door. Before she left, she looked over her shoulder at Fitz, who looked so peaceful and calm. She wanted to stay, but she knew that was ridiculous. She opened the door and checked the hallway a few times before sneaking out and going to her own room._

_Once she was inside her suite, she pushed her bag against the wall and rubbed her head. She wanted to crumple to the floor and flesh out all the conflicting emotions she was feeling, but she didn't have time for that. At the end of the day, she was still Fitz's campaign fixer and she wasn't going to let him down just because of her girly feelings. So she took a shower, got dressed in one of her favorite suits and held her head high as she went downstairs. _

_The restaurant area of the hotel was already packed with campaign workers, who were setting up for the 6 AM pancake breakfast. Olivia joined in with placing chairs and arranging signs and she nearly jumped out of her skin when Cyrus touched her on the shoulder._

"_Whoa there. Jumpy this morning, Liv?" he asked with a smile._

"_Yeah, sorry," she said with a sheepish smile. "I guess I was feeling guilty because I'm a little late to the set-up."_

"_Aw, don't worry about it. These kids have everything handled. Have you seen Fitz yet?"_

_She felt a burn in her cheeks so she looked away from Cyrus and pretended to stack plates. _

"_No, I haven't," she lied._

"_I might go up there and knock on his door in a few minutes. You know I have to be a mother hen for that boy."_

_Olivia smiled and nodded and was very thankful when Cyrus found someone else to talk to. She busied herself with anything she could get her hands on until people from the community started to file in, anxiously wanting to meet the candidate. Olivia shook hands and led people to tables. The room was about halfway filled with potential voters when the star of the hour himself walked in, looking awfully refreshed and chipper. She blushed thinking that she might have had something to do with that happiness._

"_There he is," Cyrus announced. Everyone in the room clapped and Fitz held up his hand and smiled. He worked the room, bringing plates of breakfast to people and sitting down to chat with them. Every now and then, Olivia looked his way and was happy that he hadn't looked at her. A part of her worried that he was just going to forget last night and treat it like it never happened. She wasn't sure whether to be happy or sad about that._

_But then, about thirty minutes into the breakfast, Olivia stole a glance at Fitz while he talked to a small family and held their baby. He bounced the baby on his knee and while the mother talked to him, his eyes floated to Olivia. They stared at one another for a heated second, and it was then that she knew he definitely hadn't forgotten._

_Still, she tried to avoid him for the rest of the morning. Once all the voters were fed, the campaign workers were allowed to get in line for food. Olivia hung back until the end and as she loaded some potatoes and grits onto her plate, a deep voice behind her said, "you left."_

_She froze in place and chanced a glance at Fitz. He had a little smirk on his face so she knew he wasn't angry._

"_I had to," she said lowly as she started walking through the line again. "I had to get here early to help set up."_

"_Hm."_

_He poked his lips out like he wasn't impressed with her explanation._

"_Plus, I didn't want Cyrus to find me there," she added._

"_Hm," he said again._

_Olivia raised an eyebrow but when he didn't say anything else, she assumed the conversation was over. They got to the end of the line and picked up cups of orange juice. She turned around to search of their table, and Fitz leaned down to her ear and whispered, "the sheets still smell like you." And with that, he walked away, leaving her speechless. She recovered and followed him to a table where Cyrus and a few others were already seated. Olivia sat as far away from Fitz as possible. She zoned out completely while everyone else talked and her ears only perked up when Cyrus directed his attention to her._

"_Liv, you okay?" you asked. "You look like you didn't sleep a wink."_

_Despite her better judgment, her eyes immediately darted to Fitz, who had a smug smile on his face._

"_Uh, yeah, I guess I didn't get very much sleep," she said._

"_I hope you weren't up working too hard, Liv," Fitz said. And it may have been her imagination, but it seemed like he put a lot of emphasis on the word 'hard.' "I slept great, by the way. Best rest I've had in a long time. I did a little pre-bedtime exercise...knocked me right out."_

_Olivia almost scoffed when he winked at her, but she didn't want to draw any more attention to them than he already was. Luckily for them, Cyrus was completely unaware of what was going on._

"_I like this hotel," Cyrus said. "I ordered room service last night and the food was really good."_

"_Sure was," Fitz agreed. Olivia frowned because she didn't recall him ordering any room service. "I had some really great homemade pie."_

_She was so caught off guard by his response that she actually choked on her orange juice. Cyrus had to reach over and hit her on the back and she held up her hand to say she was okay. She excused herself before Fitz killed her with his innuendo. She felt his eyes on her as she walked away but she kept going until she was on the elevator. As soon as the doors closed, she covered her face with her hands and shook her head. The whole situation felt surreal. She was still in a fog when she let herself into her room and fell face-first onto the bed. Almost immediately, her eyes closed out of sheer exhaustion and she drifted off to sleep._

_Knocks on the door brought her back to reality and Olivia sat up, startled. She wasn't sure how long she had been out but she knew Cyrus had probably come up to ask her what the hell was wrong with her. She swung the door open and her heart leapt into her throat when she saw Fitz, looking concerned._

"_Cyrus is worried about you. Are you okay?" he asked._

"_Yeah...I guess I was just more tired than I thought."_

_He raised an eyebrow. "Can I come in?"_

"_I don't know if that's a good idea," she said, crossing her arms. "You know, might be too much homemade pie in here."_

_Fitz laughed and shoved his hands into his pockets._

"_Don't tell me my little jokes ran you off."_

_Olivia stuck her head into the hallway and then yanked him inside with her. Once the door was closed, she spun around and threw her hands into the air._

"_Have you lost your mind?" she asked in a harsh whisper. "Do you __**want**_ _everyone to know that we had sex?" _

"_That might not be so bad. Maybe then Mellie would finally leave me and you and I can move to my ranch and make wine together."_

"_Wow. You actually have lost your mind."_

_Fitz plopped down on her bed and got comfortable, placing his hands behind his head. _

"_You left," he said again._

"_Yes, and as I explained earlier, I had to leave."_

"_You could have said goodbye," he said softly. _

"_No, I couldn't," she said, matching his tone. _

"_So, what? That's it? One time and you're out?"_

"_Fitz, are you serious? You know we can't do that again."_

"_It was good, wasn't it?"_

"_Of course it was good! That's not the point."_

"_Then what is the point?"_

"_The point is that you are so off limits, it's not even funny. I don't have to enumerate all the reasons that we cannot ever have sex again and why we probably shouldn't even be in a room together without some kind of supervision. If people found out, your campaign would be over before it started and all this would have been for nothing." She sighed and rubbed her head. "I'm not saying it was a mistake, but I am saying it was a one-time thing."_

_Fitz nodded slowly, then pulled himself off the bed and walked towards her. It was almost like he was stalking her and the closer he got, the more she moved back until she was pressed against the door. He put his hands on her hips and got so close to her that their noses were almost touching._

"_Stop," she said weakly._

"_I can't. I thought that maybe if we slept together, I'd get you out of my system. But all you did was get me addicted to you. I want more." He ran his nose along her neck and she shivered. "I need more."_

"_This. Could. Never. Work," she said as firmly as she could muster, given the circumstances. "This will only end badly."_

"_It might end wonderfully," he whispered. _

_He still hadn't kissed her but he ghosted his lips along her skin and it took everything in her not to pull him closer. _

"_I can't have an affair with you, Fitz. This is crazy."_

"_It is crazy. And it feels so good." He kept teasing her, then he pulled away and looked at her with hooded eyes. "If you tell me that you don't want me, I'll leave you alone."_

_Olivia opened her mouth to deny it, but she couldn't force such a lie. Fitz smiled._

"_That's what I thought."_

"_I'm not a slut," she said with a shaky voice. "I'm not a mistress. I'm not the other woman."_

_He encased her face with both hands and shook his head._

"_No, you're absolutely not. You're a beautiful, confident, fucking brilliant woman. I love to hear you talk. I love to watch you put people in their places. I love how in control you are when you're in business mode." He stroked his thumbs across her cheeks and smiled. "But even more than that, I love how out of control you are when you're with me. I love knowing that when I touch you like this, you get wet for me. Are you wet right now, baby?"_

_She closed her eyes so she didn't have to continue to get sucked into his gaze. He smelled so good and he was so damn sexy, she couldn't even think straight. And he was talking dirty on top of it. It was a miracle that she didn't throw him down and rip his clothes off._

"_Don't make me stop, Livi," he whispered. "You don't even know how much you've hypnotized me and I'm not ready for you to break the spell. Tell me it's not over yet."_

_When she opened her eyes again, she felt like she was in a daze. Fitz was too close, too handsome, too intoxicating. Before she could think better of it, her lips were moving and saying what was on her heart instead of in her head._

"_It's not over," she said._

_And it was at that moment that she knew: her life would never be the same._

...

Olivia's alarm went off at 5:00 and she instinctively reached over to turn it off. She pulled her head off of something hard and she put her hand down to feel it out. When she was met with the soft material of a T-shirt and a quiet grumble, she recalled the events of the previous night. The sex tape. Fitz. Snuggling. He started to move underneath her so she made quick work of the alarm before it could wake him up. She turned on the lamp next to the bed and although he rolled his head away from the light, he didn't wake up.

She took a moment to look at him, and she brushed some of his hair out of his face. He looked older and more tired than he used to. She knew that presidency had aged many a man but she couldn't help but feel some responsibility for Fitz's stress level. Their constant fighting and back-and-forth couldn't have been good for him.

She thought about waking him up, but decided against it when she saw how comfortable he looked. She kissed his cheek, then slowly detangled herself from his arms and legs. She pulled a robe over her body and crept out of the room. When she made it to the living room, she turned on the news, afraid that she might see something about her and Fitz on the screen. Luckily, it didn't appear that anybody had gotten wind of the sex tape or anything else about them.

Olivia scooted into the kitchen and searched her fridge for breakfast items. She settled for bacon, eggs and muffins and once the bacon had been in the pan for a while, the aroma began to float through the apartment. After a few minutes, the bedroom door opened and Fitz walked into the living room. His hair was in complete disarray and he was squinting.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi," she smiled.

"You left."

Her smile widened and she gestured to the pan.

"To make you breakfast."

"Hmmm...Olivia being domestic. I like it."

She stood over the pan, flipping the bacon a few times, and she briefly closed her eyes when Fitz hugged her from behind. He kissed her neck and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"I like the way this feels," he said.

"Me too."

He kissed her again, then backed away.

"Anything I can do to help?"

"Pour us some juice?"

Fitz did as she asked and once everything was ready, Olivia brought their plates to the table. They ate in silence for a few minutes, but she broke the ice.

"I've been thinking about the tape," she said.

"Okay. What do you want to do?"

She took a deep breath, then gave him that apologetic smile she had perfected.

"Nothing."

Fitz's eyebrows shot off his head. "Nothing?"

"I'm so tired, Fitz," she confessed. "I'm tired of hiding and pretending. I'm tired of going to sleep alone and hugging my pillow, pretending it's you. We were crazy to think that we could keep this a secret forever, and I just can't do it anymore." She reached across the table and took his hand in hers. "I know that tape probably should have scared me into action, but all it did was remind me of how much I miss you."

He sat quietly while her words sank into his brain. Then he laced her fingers with hers.

"I've been wanting you to say that for three years," he said. "You're all I've ever wanted, Liv. I'm ready to give it all up for you."

"I know," she smiled. "And I'm finally ready to do the same."

"I want this more than anything. But are you sure? This won't go away over night. People are going to smear you and me and things are gonna be ugly for a long time. It might ruin your career. You love your job so much. Are you sure you want to do this?"

She took one last moment to think about it, then she nodded.

"I'm sure. As long as we're in this together, I can do it."

Fitz tugged on her hand until she stood and sat on his lap. He hugged her tightly and kissed her hands, then her cheeks, then her lips.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you, too. And I'm sorry for everything I ever did to hurt you. I never meant to."

"I know. And I'm sorry, too, because when I said those awful things to you, I was trying to hurt you. But I didn't mean any of it."

She smiled and nodded. "I know." She caressed his cheek then checked the clock. "You should go. Cyrus has probably already sent out the hounds."

"We'll talk tonight?"

"Yes."

She kissed him, then walked back to the bedroom with him. He put his clothes back on and she tied his tie for him. She walked him to the front door and pulled him down to her for another kiss.

"I'll miss you tonight," she whispered.

"Not as much as I'll miss you. Maybe I'll be back. After I tell Cyrus that we're not going to fight the tape, he'll probably kick me out."

They chuckled and Olivia kissed him again.

"I'll keep your spot warm," she said. "Now, go. Be President."

"Yes, ma'am."

She saw him out then closed the door and pressed her back into it. Her head was screaming at her to change her mind about the tape, but she had listened to her mind for too long and it all it did was cause her pain. This time, she was going with her heart. She only hoped it didn't ruin her.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Cyrus waited anxiously on the couch in the Oval Office. It was already past nine o'clock and he hadn't seen or heard from Fitz since divulging the information about the tape. He had kept his eyes glued to the TV all night and morning and was relieved to see that nobody was reporting anything about the affair. But that didn't mean it wouldn't pop up later, and all hell would break loose.

He jumped to his feet when the door opened and Fitz glided in. He had some papers in his hand and he acknowledged Cyrus with a nod.

"Cy," he said.

"Mr. President." Cyrus made sure that nobody else was coming into the room and even went so far as to lock the door. "I take it that you had an opportunity to discuss the _issue_ with Olivia."

"I did."

"And...?"

Fitz placed the papers on his desk and smiled at Cyrus. "And...we've decided not to fight the tape."

For a moment, Cyrus stared blankly at him. He knew that he must have heard incorrectly.

"I'm sorry. What did you say, sir?"

"I said we're not fighting the tape. Olivia and I agreed that we're tired of the lies. We're tired of hiding. I don't want to deny her anymore."

"Sir," Cyrus said slowly, as he shook his head. "I don't know what was on that tape, but obviously it made you both very nostalgic. And that's fine, sir, but you can't do this. You cannot let the world see you and your mistress having sex. It's political suicide!"

"First of all, what have I told you about calling Olivia a mistress?" he asked with a serious face. "And secondly, I know very well what this will do to my career and I don't care. I want her more than I want this."

Cyrus felt like his head was about to explode. He kept shaking it, thinking that if he kept it up, maybe the whole situation would turn out to be a dream.

"As much as I don't want my love for Olivia to be a secret anymore, though," Fitz started, "I don't want her dignity ruined by that tape."

A wave of relief washed over Cyrus.

"Oh my God, Fitz, you almost gave me a heart attack. Okay, so what's the plan?"

"A preemptive strike," he answered. "I'll do an interview with Barbara Walters or Oprah or somebody and I'll tell them all about our relationship before the tape can come out."

Cyrus stared at him like he had three heads.

"Sir, I don't have to explain to you what this will mean."

"No, you don't. And it's not up for discussion. Book me an interview."

His tone let it be known that the conversation was over, and Cyrus was shellshocked when he left the room and closed the door behind him. Of all the possible reactions to the sex tape, this hadn't been something he anticipated. Of course, Fitz seemed set in his decision but he never exhibited good sense when it came to Olivia. Cyrus knew that if he had any hope at all of getting things back on track, he had to pull out the big guns.

He needed Mellie.

...

Olivia waited nervously in her office as the rest of the firm trickled in. She had decided that she was going to tell them about her relationship with Fitz, as well as in the impending sex tape. Her heart was beating out of her chest at the prospect of exposing her most guarded secret, but she knew that if she couldn't share the information with her own friends, there was no way she would survive the media storm once the tape hit. If nothing else, this was good practice.

Quinn was the last one to arrive and as soon as she stepped her foot in the door, Olivia gathered everyone up in the conference room. Quinn and Abby looked confused, while Harrison and Huck just watched as Olivia opened her mouth, then closed it, and began to pace back and forth in front of the table. Every time she worked up the courage to say the words, they would fall right back down her throat. Finally, after several minutes of this, Abby spoke up.

"Uh, Liv? What the hell is going on?"

Olivia stopped her pacing and met the questioning eyes of her employees and friends. She took a deep breath and told herself to just do it. If she couldn't handle this, then she wasn't ready for people to know the truth.

"I know I've kept a lot from you guys," she started. "Most of it was necessary because of work issues. But there are also some personal things I've never shared and I never thought I would. I think we're all entitled to personal lives and I try not to pry, and I appreciate you all doing the same."

Abby and Quinn raised eyebrows but the other two sat with blank expressions.

"There's something I need to tell you all about, because my personal life is about to become very public and I imagine that things are going to be difficult for a very long time. Should that happen, it will affect this firm and therefore, will affect each of you. So I think you have a right to know."

Olivia grabbed the back of a chair for support and took one minute to gather herself. This was it. Once she said it, there was no going back.

"I've been having an affair with President Grant off and on for three years."

As soon as the words left her lips, Quinn gasped. Abby's eyes widened. Harrison blinked. Huck looked down.

"There is a sex tape," she continued. "I've seen it. It's not something I would ever want other people to see. Not because it's kinky or disgusting, but because it's very intimate and..." For the first time since she learned about the whole thing, she felt herself getting teary-eyed. But she had never cried in front of her team so she put her head down and gathered herself for a moment.

"I don't know when it's coming out," she said. "But when it does, reporters will be here every day. My reputation will be ruined and the same could happen to the firm. I'm telling you guys this so that if you want to get out now, before the shit hits the fan, you can. I won't hold any grudges, I promise. I wouldn't blame you for leaving. This isn't what you signed up for and I brought this on myself. So if you want to leave, I'll understand."

She waited anxiously to see if anybody would stand up and leave, but none of them did. In fact, nobody did or said anything until Quinn spoke up.

"Can't we...just...keep the tape from coming out?" she asked.

"Maybe we could. But I don't want to," Olivia responded. "I'm tired. This has been wearing on me every day since it started and I can't keep doing it. I know that's selfish, and I'm sorry."

"You deserve to be selfish every now and then, Liv," Huck said quietly. Everyone looked at him. "Look at what you've done for all of us. You always put yourself last, behind us and behind your clients and even behind him." Their eyes connected and she knew he was talking about Fitz. He'd never mentioned it, but she knew he had always known. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Me either," Harrison said. "We're family."

"I want to stay," Quinn piped up.

Then all eyes fell to Abby, who was looking at Olivia like she was a stranger. Olivia's heart sank at the prospect that she would lose one of her dearest friends over her decisions, but she knew that was a price she would have to pay.

"I'll stay," Abby said, surprising everyone. "But on one condition."

"Okay. What?" Olivia asked.

"I want to hear every dirty, sordid detail. And if you leave _anything_ out, I walk."

Olivia's fear transformed into relief and she smiled, then laughed. Everyone joined in her with her and she nodded her head.

"Okay. It's a deal."

...

Olivia and Abby sat with their legs tucked underneath their bodies, eating popcorn and sipping wine. For nearly an hour, Olivia had laid out her entire history with Fitz, from the first meeting to the last. Abby was enthralled by every detail and she listened with rapt attention.

"So, I guess he's pretty good in bed, huh?" Abby asked, wide-eyed and eager for more.

"That would be an understatement."

"Oh my God. I knew he was hot and had a little swag to him, but it sounds like he was really working you over."

"Yeah," she sighed contentedly. "He's...gifted."

"Is it just a sex thing or are you guys in love?"

Olivia smiled softly and finished off her second glass of wine. "I'm in love with him," she said. "And he's in love with me."

"It would be beautiful if it weren't so fucked up."

"Tell me about it."

"And his wife knows?!"

"She knows and she encouraged it in the past. I don't know how she feels about it these days but back when things were good, she was completely okay with the arrangement."

Abby shook her head in disbelief. "You guys are like in a totally different world from the rest of us, aren't you?"

"Yeah. I think we are."

Olivia was about to top off Abby's glass when there was a knock on her door. She excused herself to open it but in her blissful inebriation, she didn't bother to look through the peephole. When she did, she nearly passed out from shock.

"Mellie," she said.

Mellie pressed her lips together in a tight smile, standing with perfect posture as always.

"We need to talk. Do you have company?"

"Uh..." Olivia looked over her shoulder to see that Abby was craning to see who was at the door. When she saw Mellie, she mouthed 'oh my God!' "Yeah, but we can finish our conversation later."

"Good."

Mellie waltzed past Olivia like she owned the place and when she locked eyes with Abby, Abby scurried off the couch.

"I'll catch you later, Liv."

"Sure. See you tomorrow."

Olivia walked her friend to the door and Abby whispered "Oh my God!" again before Olivia pushed her out. She closed the door, took a deep breath and joined Mellie, who had taken Abby's seat on the couch. She was holding up the bottle of red wine, inspecting it closely.

"Is this any good?" she asked.

"I like it. Do you want some?"

"Please. It seems like we have the same taste in everything else."

They shared a knowing glance and Olivia disappeared into the kitchen to get another glass. Her heart was nearly beating out of her chest. It was true that she known Mellie just as long as she had known Fitz and it was true that Mellie had, on many different occasions, not only condoned their infidelity but encouraged it. Still, Olivia could never shake that sinking feeling when Mellie was around. All she had to do was make one move and the whole house of cards would come falling down.

"Thank you," Mellie said as Olivia poured her some wine. She took a sip and nodded in approval. "This is good."

Olivia didn't know what to say so she made herself comfortable on the other end of the couch. She tucked her knees underneath her and waited.

"I'm sure you're wondering what I'm doing here," Mellie said.

"Kind of."

"Do you know how Fitz and I met?"

Olivia frowned in confusion. "Uh...a little."

"We were in law school. I was at the top of my class, the editor of the law review, headed straight for some big-time, high-paying job at a prestigious firm. And Fitz," she said with a smile, "was this daydreaming, charming, handsome guy who did well but always seemed to have his eyes on something bigger. I barely noticed him at first. He was too idealistic and liberal for my taste. But he was good-looking and smart and most importantly, well-connected. Once I found out who his father was, I knew I had to have him. I knew he could get me further than I could get on my own, and I started molding him."

She took another sip of her wine.

"I don't think he liked me at first. I was too..." she waved her hand around as she searched for the right word. "Pushy? Domineering, maybe? As you know, he likes strong women but he also likes a woman who'll let him be a man, and at first, I didn't know how to do that. But I changed. I changed for him. I tried to temper my personality and after nearly a year of dating, he finally introduced me to his parents. Once I met Big Jerry, I knew I was in. Big Jerry absolutely adored me and if I didn't know better, I'd say he was the one who pushed Fitz into proposing to me. We were never a perfect couple but we served our purposes. I was his pretty, smart trophy wife that gave him two kids and he was my political meal ticket that was going to push me right into the White House. All things considered, it was a nice set-up." Mellie's smile faltered for the first time and she looked at Olivia with those cold eyes. "And then he met you."

Olivia had no idea where the conversation was going, but she felt extremely uncomfortable.

"Mellie, I..."

"I wasn't sure anything was going on between you. Not at first, anyway. Of course, I could tell that Fitz was completely smitten with you from the beginning. You know he wears his heart on his sleeve and he was terrible at hiding his attraction to you. I mean, he would look at you all the time, find little ways to touch you or talk to you, and everything you said was the best thing he'd ever had. It was ridiculous," she said with a little laugh. "But you were very good at hiding your feelings for him. You stayed detached and even brushed him off many times. I thought for sure his feelings were one-sided, until this one time I caught you looking at him when you thought nobody was around. You had the same look in your eyes that he always had. And I knew then that my marriage was in trouble."

Mellie reached down, pulled her heels off and tucked her knees underneath her, mirroring Olivia's position. She tossed one arm over the couch and casually sipped her wine, like they were old friends having a normal chat about their daily lives.

"Still, I wasn't sure there was anything going on other than a little crush, you know? As far as I knew, Fitz had never cheated and you seemed upstanding, so I assumed you two were just flirting. Then one day after Fitz and I had a big blow-up in a hotel hallway and I went into our room and slammed the door, you two left together. I calmed down about ten minutes later and I started looking for Fitz. I raised my hand to knock on your door, and I heard you. Together."

Olivia hung her head in shame, not only because Mellie had heard her husband being unfaithful but because in hindsight, she and Fitz hadn't been very discreet at all.

"At first, I thought about causing a big scene and throwing the whole campaign down the toilet. But then I thought better of it because I realized that you were doing something for Fitz that I hadn't been able to do in years: you made him happy. And when he's happy, he's good. And what's good for him is good for me. So I let it happen."

"Mellie, why are you telling me all of this?"

"Because until very recently, I thought your relationship with Fitz was all about sex. I thought the way you two looked at each other was based on lust. Even after you left the White House and he was so upset, I thought it was mostly because he'd lost his fuck buddy. Even after all the back and forth and late night phone calls and fighting and making up...somehow I still thought it was a sex thing. It wasn't until Defiance, when Fitz was so utterly _devastated_ about your part in it, that I knew that my husband was in love with you...in a way that he had never loved me."

She finished off her wine and smiled sadly at Olivia. She cocked her head to the side and studied her, like she was trying to figure out what Olivia had that she didn't.

"It wasn't until I saw the tape that my thoughts were confirmed. You two were so passionate and loving together. It was so much deeper than the physical."

Olivia frowned. "Fitz showed you the tape?"

"No."

"Then, how did you see it?"

"Because," Mellie said, righting her head again. She dusted her hands over her skirt and squared her shoulders. "I sent it."

Olivia closed her eyes as she felt like a bomb had just exploded over her head. "Wait. What?"

"It's my tape, Olivia. I sent it to Cyrus so he would make you and Fitz watch it."

"But...why? How? Why did you sit on it for this long?"

Mellie shrugged. "Just because I condoned your behavior doesn't mean I wasn't storing it away for later use, if necessary. In case things went sour with the campaign, I figured I'd use the affair as leverage with Fitz in case we got a divorce. I had to protect myself, of course."

Olivia's mouth nearly fell open at her cavalier explanation.

"But I never used it and I never really had a reason to. Until now. I told you before that Fitz needs you. The man can't function without you and if he can't function, he can't govern. If he can't govern, he loses the Presidency and I lose my position. I can't have that, Liv. So I sent Cyrus the tape, knowing he'd show it to Fitz, who would show it to you. I figured that you guys would get all sentimental and you'd _finally_ stop pussy-footing around and get back together."

Olivia was still in shock as Mellie kept going.

"What I _didn't_ expect was for Fitz to lose what's left of his mind and decide that he would do a 'preemptive strike' and just announce your affair to the world to save you the embarrassment of the tape. I told him earlier today that I was the one who sent the tape and I wouldn't release it and he still doesn't care. He claims that he wants everything out in the open and he's going to tell, whether or not I release the tape. This is where you come in, Olivia. You have to talk some sense into him and tell him not to do this."

"But...Mellie, pardon me, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything."

"There's nothing to wrap your head around. I did what I had to do for Fitz and by extension, for myself. Now it's your turn to keep him from doing something incredibly stupid. I understand that he wants to be with you. Fine. We'll work out some kind of schedule if that's what you want."

"Schedule?"

"Yes. Obviously, as First Lady, I'd still accompany him to all major events and we'll pretend to be happily married. But if you want him behind closed doors, if you want him to sleep at your place every night, I don't care. Just don't blow the whistle on this thing. I've still got political ambitions and after everything I've done for Fitz, he owes me this. And so do you."

Olivia was rendered completely speechless as Mellie untucked her feet and put her shoes back on. She stood and smoothed out her skirt and adjusted her smile on her face.

"You'll let me know, won't you?" she asked in that pretend-nice voice.

"Uh...yes. Sure."

"Good. I'll expect to hear from you soon."

Mellie turned on her heels and walked to the door, and Olivia followed her like a zombie. Mellie had just stepped into the hallway when she turned around and took in Olivia again.

"You know, it's really too bad," she said. "In some other life, if you weren't in love with my husband, we could have been great friends."

And with that, she walked away. Olivia slowly closed the door, then pressed her back to it. Her mind was still spinning with everything Mellie had said and she didn't know what to make of any of it. Her boyfriend's wife wanted them to continue their affair. In fact, she had gone out of her way to make sure they found their way back to each other.

Abby was right: she really did live in a different world.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Fitz loosened his tie and quietly knocked on Olivia's door. He was exhausted. It had been three days since he'd last seen her, two days since he found out that Mellie was the source of the tape and one day since a hostage crisis in Libya had robbed him of any chance of sleep. He felt like he had been up for 72 hours straight, trying to figure out his life. Mellie had made him so mad when she told him about the tape, and he grew furious to the point of violence when she told him about her idiotic plan to share him with Olivia. He had to physically remove himself from his wife's presence before he did something he regretted. He had wanted to run to Olivia at that exact moment, but the presidency had other plans.

He'd thought about her constantly and he wanted nothing more than to be in her arms, holding her, telling her all about his problems so she could give him the solution. She always knew the right things to say and do and even though he knew it was risky coming to see her again, he had to.

When she opened the door to her apartment, he had planned to pull her into a hug and ask her to tell him that everything would be okay. As she stood before him, though, he was completely speechless. Her petite body was barely hidden underneath a white, see-through teddy that showcased her smooth legs and perky breasts. His eyes ran up and down her body several times before landing on her face. Her brown eyes were wide and vulnerable, like she was nervous. And he was instantly hard. There was nothing that turned him more than knowing that his strong, capable, kick-ass woman could be so utterly weak for him. Like he was for her.

They didn't speak as Olivia gently took his hand and guided him inside. She closed the door and pressed her back against it. She pulled him to her body and his breathing got heavy as she wrapped her small hand around his tie and tugged him down to her level. Their noses just barely touched and and Fitz didn't move, afraid that he would break the spell she put on him.

"I missed you," she whispered, and her lips brushed against his. "I need you."

And he lost it. He grabbed her hips and hoisted her up until she wrapped her legs around him. His mouth found hers and when she kissed him back, snaking her tongue around his mouth, he felt like he had just been revived from years of sleep. He groaned into her mouth and kissed her with a passion that he had been harboring since the last time he saw her. His erection twitched when she whimpered and scratched her fingers into his scalp. Fitz sucked her soft lips into his mouth and nearly lost it right there against the door. He had dreamt about those lips every night, recalling how they felt on his body.

He gripped her hips tighter and kissed down her neck. Meanwhile, Olivia's hands got busy yanking his jacket off. He raised his thigh between her legs to balance her against the door while he rid himself of the jacket. Olivia began to grind herself against his thigh and he released an embarrassingly loud groan. He pulled back enough to look at her face while she teased him. She bit her bottom lip while she worked her hips in slow, torturous circles, looking every bit the part of a seductress. He could feel his eyes glazing over with desire. His hands went to her waist, stilling her movements. He placed himself between her legs and rotated his erection into her once, then twice.

Olivia threw her head back against the door and moaned. "Fitz," she whispered.

"Tell me you want it," he directed in a gruff voice.

"I want it, baby," she begged.

"What do you want?"

Her head rolled back down and she looked at him through hooded eyelids. "You," she said with swollen lips. "All of you."

He watched her hands glide over his shirt then to his tie. She undid the tie and slid it off his neck. She then unbuttoned his shirt and ran her hands along his chest. She scratched him lightly and twirled her fingers in his hair. Mellie had always hated his chest hair and constantly asked him to shave it. But Olivia loved it, and it made him feel so masculine and wanted. He ran a hand up and down her thigh while she stroked him.

"What do you want me to do to you?" he asked.

Her eyes traveled back to his face and with the confidence of a woman who knew exactly what she desired, she said, "I want you to make me come."

Fitz's brain went haywire from the combination of her beautiful face and provocative words. He grabbed the back of her neck and attacked her with a searing kiss that nearly stole all of their oxygen. He slid his hand back down to her waist and placed both hands on her ass. He squeezed it, then pulled her off the door and into him. He then tossed her small body over his shoulder and smacked her ass so hard that she yelped.

"You're a bad girl," he said, as he marched towards her bedroom like a caveman after a hunt. "Who knew you could say such dirty things with such a beautiful mouth?"

Before she could answer, Fitz tossed her onto her bed and watched her breasts bounce as a result. He pulled his shirt off and motioned for her to remove her clothes. Olivia sat up on her knees and maintained eye contact as she very slowly peeled the lingerie off her body. She tossed it to Fitz, who caught it with a smile. He took in her naked body and nearly shivered at how gorgeous she was. At one point in the not-so-distant past, he wasn't sure he would ever get the chance to see it again. And now that she was in a front of him, ready and willing, it was almost too much to take.

With his eyes still trained on her, he reached down and pulled his shoes off. He undid his belt, then his pants, and let them fall to the ground. He stepped out of them and was about to get out of his boxers when Olivia lay on her back and ran her hands over her breasts. She pinched her own nipples and moaned. Fitz froze in place, watching her as she did that a few more times then snaked her hand down between her legs. He nearly stopped breathing when her slender finger teased her swollen clit and she whimpered. She slid her finger inside herself and her back arched as she released an open-mouthed groan. That snapped Fitz back to reality and he practically ripped his boxers off before jumping onto the bed and pulling Olivia's hand away. He pinned both her hands above her head and shook his head at her.

"That's _my_ pussy," he told her. "I'm the only one that touches this pussy."

He could tell that his words were turning her on because her brown eyes nearly turned black with lust. She was breathing hard and she raised her hips, rubbing her wetness on his abdomen. He didn't need any more signs to know that he had the green light. He kept her arms together with one hand, then slid his hand down and lined himself up at her opening. He rubbed the head back and forth a few times, dragging a long hiss from Olivia's lips. When he finally slid inside, it was like the whole world stopped. There was no way to describe it other than blindingly euphoric. She was dripping wet, warm and tight. He didn't move for a full ten seconds, then he cursed loudly when she squeezed him.

"Liv," he begged. "Please don't make me come after five seconds."

"Then move, Mr. President," she whispered.

He wanted to wipe that cocky smirk off her face, so he did the next best thing: he pulled out, then he slid back in and circled his hips in an agonizingly slow pace. Olivia's eyes slipped shut and she cursed softly. Fitz released her arms and planted his hands on each side of her body for leverage. The more she moaned, the harder he stroked until she was digging her nails into his back and thrusting her hips up to meet him. He knew from the way she was squeezing her legs around him that she was close, so he stopped abruptly. Her eyes flew open as she breathed raggedly.

"What..."

"Turn around."

Without hesitation, Olivia turned over and got her hands and knees. Fitz directed her to put her hands on the headboard and she got a tight grip on it just as he slid into her from behind.

"Fuck!" she screamed.

"You like that, baby?" he asked.

"Yes," she cried.

He held her hips in place as he pounded into her just the way she liked it. Her ass smacked the front of his body with every thrust and he watched himself disappear into her over and over again. He almost smiled at how much the tables had turned, now that Olivia was in her favorite position and groaning like a woman on the brink of ecstasy.

"Did you miss this?" he asked, still pumping into her like a madman.

"Yes, baby," she said between moans.

"Did you touch yourself while we were apart?" He smacked her butt and she whimpered. "Huh? Did you touch your pussy when you thought of me?"

"Yes, Fitz," she said in a desperate tone.

"Did it feel better than when I fuck you?"

"God, no."

He could feel her squeezing harder and harder and she was starting to speak in incomplete sentences. Fitz reached between her legs and flicked her clit and she shouted so loudly that he was sure the neighbors heard. He kept rubbing her and slamming into her until her back arched and her entire body locked into place. Her fingers clutched the headboard so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She orgasmed and screamed his name for what felt like an eternity. She clamped herself down so hard on him that he couldn't help but orgasm right behind her. Euphoria trickled from his head to his toes and he wrapped his arms around her waist as he fell face-down onto her back.

For the next few minutes, both of them breathed heavily and Olivia whimpered with every breath. She finally took her hands off the headboard and they situated themselves on their backs, next to each other. When Fitz came down from his high, he rolled his head over took at her.

"Can you greet me like that every time I see you?" he asked.

She rolled her head to the side and smiled, then broke into giddy laughter. He chuckled and she shook her head.

"That was..." she started. When she couldn't come up with a good enough word, she settled for "wow."

"Yeah, it's been way too long since we did that."

"I think I may need a cigarette."

Fitz laughed. "How about a sandwich instead?"

"Yes," she nodded, still slightly out of breath. "A sandwich will do."

He leaned over to kiss her, then slid out of bed. He didn't bother with clothes and waltzed into the kitchen like he owned the place. He put together four sandwiches, stacked with turkey and cheese, and grabbed a bottle of wine. When he went back to the bedroom, Olivia was still laid out, spread-eagle on the bed.

"Okay, now," he warned. "You're making me want to ravage you again."

"I'm paralyzed," she said with a smile.

"Well have something to eat so you can get your energy up for round 2."

Olivia just barely scooted over for him and made room for the plate of sandwiches he placed on the bed. She grabbed one, took a big bit and moaned.

"Oh my God. Best sandwich ever."

"Hell yeah," he agreed.

He popped the wine open and took a swig straight out of the bottle, then passed to her and she did the same. They polished off two sandwiches each and Fitz moved the plate to the nightstand. He pulled Olivia's naked body against his and smiled when she moaned against his chest.

"This feels good," she said lowly.

"It feels incredible," he corrected.

They were silent for a little while and Fitz nearly drifted off to sleep when Olivia placed her chin on his chest and looked up at him with those soulful eyes.

"Mellie wants me to share you with her," she said.

He frowned. "So I heard."

She pressed her head against his chest again and ran her fingers through the soft hair there.

"What do you think about that?" she asked.

"I think it's the stupidest fucking thing I've ever heard." He felt Olivia tense slightly, so he kissed her head to assure her that his harsh language wasn't directed at her. "I can't believe her sometimes. First, the tape. Then this idiotic plan. What next? A threesome?"

He laughed dryly at the absurdity of the whole situation but noticed that Olivia was very quiet. She had stopped playing with his chest hair and he could tell she was upset.

"Liv," he said softly. "What's wrong, baby?"

"Nothing."

He lifted her chin to look at him and raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong?" he asked again.

She looked down, then scooted away from so she could sit up. He mirrored her actions.

"It's just...I don't think it's a horrible plan."

Fitz groaned and started shaking his head. "Liv..."

"No, Fitz, listen," she said firmly. "Every time I've thought about how this would end, how we could ever be happy together, I've never come up with any scenario where people don't get hurt. If you do this interview and put everything out there, we will both be hurt. My career will be ruined and so will yours. Your kids may never forgive you and who knows if my parents could ever forgive me? It's messy."

"Love is messy sometimes," he said, getting angry at her reasoning.

"But it doesn't have to be. If we do what Mellie wants, we might get out of this thing with our reputations and lives intact. All you have to do is pretend with her for a little bit longer..."

"It's not a little bit longer, Olivia." He got off the bed and threw his hands up in frustration. "You want to keep doing this for the rest of this term, then four years after that? No. Hell no."

"Don't you want what's best for us?" she asked, getting off the bed and standing her ground on the other side of the room.

"Don't _you_?" he fired back. "Don't you want to be able to sleep together every night and wake up and have breakfast and call and text and come home and talk about our days and do the whole thing over again? Without hiding?"

"Yes! And I want all that without the media at my door every day asking me if I'm your whore."

Fitz balled his hands into fists and then raked them through his hair in frustration.

"I don't understand. A couple of days ago, you were all on board with finally letting this all out there. In fact, it was your idea. And now you're agreeing with _Mellie_? I hate when you two work together against me."

"First of all, we are _not_ working together. She came here and told me her plan, but she didn't change my mind. I thought about it and considered the possible outcomes and made a reasonable, sound decision."

"That's your problem, Olivia," he said, pointing an accusatory finger. "You're always trying to listen to your head when you should be listening to your heart. I'm married and we fell in love and this is messy. There is no way easy way out of this. There is no clean way out. We're adults and we made our bed and now it's time to sleep in it."

Tense silence fell over them and Fitz's mind raced with all kinds of thoughts. Before he could stop himself, he asked the first thing that came to his head.

"Do you even love me?" he asked, with a shaking voice.

Olivia's face fell. "What?"

"Do you even love me?"

"How can you ask me that?"

"Because I don't know! I'm always telling you how much I love you, how much I need you. I'm constantly begging for your affection and some kind of reassurance that I'm not the only one who feels this way. I have tried many times to give up everything for you and you always find some excuse for me not to. Do you not want to be with me? Are you scared, or do you just not love me?"

When her head fell and she didn't answer, his heart sank. After everything they had been through, the truth was finally right in front of him. He'd always known that he was the aggressor in his relationship with Olivia but he thought he had convinced her to love him as much as he did her. Now, it seemed he had been wrong.

He grabbed his boxers and shoved his legs through. He started to put on his pants but stopped when Olivia stepped in front of him. He tried to ignore her but she grabbed his face with both hands and made him look at her. His anger began to melt when she looked at him with those eyes that always made him weak.

"I love you," she said firmly. "Don't you ever doubt that. I am _in_ love with you and I always will be. I wouldn't have put my reputation on the line by getting involved with you if I didn't love you. I wouldn't have compromised my morals and gone against everything I know to be right if I didn't love you. So don't ever ask me that or think that again. Do you understand?"

Fitz's doubts and anger dissipated with every word she spoke, and he nodded his head.

"And you know what?" she asked. "I am scared. I'm petrified of what will happen to me if this comes out. I'm scared of what will happen to you and my friends and everyone we care about. You're right, we made our choices and we have to live with them. I just want to minimize the damage. That's all. That's what I do, Fitz. I fix things and I'm scared because I can't fix this."

He looked away from her, feeling guilty about all the things he'd said earlier. As much as he didn't want to, he knew he had to at least consider what Mellie was putting forward.

"How would this work?" he asked quietly. "Am I supposed to switch off between you every other day or something?"

"I don't know. We'll have to iron out the details. But I'm only sharing your time, Fitz. Not your heart or your body. Whenever you're finished with the job for the day, you can come home to me and we can be together. We'd only have to hide for a little while longer."

"I can't be away from you for four years, Liv. I can't fake it with Mellie for that long."

"Then don't. Don't run for a second term."

"Yeah right," he scoffed.

"You have the perfect out, Fitz. People may have forgotten but you were shot in the head. You can always bow out gracefully and tell people that you just can't do it anymore. People will understand and they'll respect your honesty. You and Mellie will wait a respectable amount of time, then divorce amicably. You'll support her in her political endeavors and talk about how great a wife and mother she was. Then, after the shortest waiting period possible, you and I can finally be together without hiding."

Fitz shook his head and sighed, but only because he hated to admit that her plan didn't sound as awful as he wanted it to. It was a longer road than he wanted to take, but the reward was his ultimate prize.

"Are you going to marry me?" he asked.

She smiled and stroked his cheeks. "Yes. I am going to marry you. On a beach. Barefoot. With all our closest friends and family there. And maybe while we're on the honeymoon, if you still want to, I'll let you get me pregnant."

He closed his eyes and imagined everything she said, and it looked like heaven to him.

"You're just saying what I want to hear," he whispered.

"No, I'm saying what I want to hear. Believe it or not, baby, we're on the same page. I want what you want. I want you."

He sighed and when he opened his eyes and saw her concerned, angelic face, he couldn't be mad anymore. He put his hands on her naked hips and nodded.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"I'll agree to this stupid plan, Liv. But on two conditions."

"Okay..."

"One, I absolutely will not run for a second term. And two, you have to promise that you'll give me everything you just said."

Olivia smiled and placed a soft kiss on his lips. "I promise, Fitz." Her hands dropped to his unbuckled pants and she tugged them. "Now get naked and come to bed."

He discarded his pants and boxers, turned off the light and joined her in bed. She climbed on top of him and rested her head in his neck.

"I want this every night, Liv," he said lowly. "I don't care what's going on. I want you in my arms every night. Promise me."

"I promise."

...

**Thank you for all the reviews, everyone. I really enjoy your opinions and feedback. I know these two are frustrating but we wouldn't love them if they were easy. Stick around because I promise that after a couple of chapters of relative happiness, the shit will hit the fan. **


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

It was a slow day at Pope & Associates and the mood in the office seemed to match the rainy day outside. Olivia and her crew had just finished a big case and they were in that lull period before the next client came in or called. Abby had called in sick, Harrison was kicked back in his office listening to music, and Quinn and Huck were playing cards. Olivia was reclined in her chair with her feet crossed on top of her desk, flipping through the news channels. She'd stop and smile every time she saw Fitz's handsome face.

A warm feeling spread through her body whenever she thought about him. It had been three months since they came to an agreement with Mellie and as bizarre as the whole thing seemed at first, things had actually worked out well. Olivia and Fitz talked every day and saw each other a couple of times a week, Mellie was content that Fitz wasn't going to blab about the affair or quit the Presidency, and Cyrus was just happy that Fitz was back to being President and not fighting with both of the women in his life. As crazy as the set-up was, it worked for them.

"Liv," Quinn said after a soft knock on the door. Olivia pulled her attention away from the TV and her eyebrows nearly jumped off her head when she saw the large arrangement of orchids that Quinn was carrying to her desk. Quinn set them down and gave her a knowing smile, but left without saying anything else.

Olivia's lips spread into a grin as she read her card. In Fitz's handwriting was the simple note: _500 days. _She immediately whipped out her cell phone and called him.

"Yes?" he answered in that deep voice that she loved.

"I just got a really lovely arrangement of flowers sent to my office. Would you know anything about that?"

"No, I sure wouldn't."

"That's a shame. Because whoever sent them is going to get a really heartfelt, naked thank you."

"Oh, well in that case, let me correct my previous answer. Yes, they're from me."

Olivia snickered and relaxed in her chair again.

"500 days, huh?" she asked.

"That's right. 500 days until someone else takes the reigns of this country and you can be mine, for real."

"Sounds nice."

"It will be. What are you doing right now?"

"Nothing. We're in between clients so it's a quiet day."

"What would I have to do to convince you to come see me?"

"Just ask," she said with a smile.

"And what would I have to do to convince you to come spend the night with me?"

Her smile slowly turned into a frown and she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"Spend the night with you? You mean...at the White House?"

"Yes."

"How exactly would we do that?"

"Mellie's on the West Coast for the next couple of days. I could have Tom come pick you up and sneak you into my bedroom."

"What?" she laughed. "No, that's crazy. I'm not doing that. We're supposed to be exercising discretion, Fitz."

"Then don't scream too loud in bed," he said in a cheeky tone.

"This is insane," she said lowly. "And I won't be a part of it."

"Tom will be by your place tonight at 10. Wear something sexy for me."

And with that, he hung up. Olivia looked at her phone, then shook her head. She knew that there was absolutely no way she should even consider Fitz's request. It was crazy and reckless and completely stupid. She told herself that she was not going to participate. But when she got home after work, she slowly put a few things into an overnight bag. Then, a few more. She showered, changed clothes and when Tom showed up at her doorstep at exactly 10 o'clock, she didn't put up a fight.

...

As 10:30 came and went, Fitz sat nervously at the Resolute Desk, wondering if Olivia had really been serious when she said she wasn't going to come. He tapped his fingers on the desk, trying not to count the minutes. He thought about calling her, then Tom stuck his head in the door and nodded once. Fitz grinned and nodded back. He closed up shop for the night and made his way out of the Oval and into the Residences. He let himself into his bedroom and warmth spread throughout his body when he saw his beloved sitting on the edge of the bed. If he got to come home to that image every night, he'd stay President forever.

"Fancy meeting you here," he said as he shut the door.

Olivia turned her head to him and crossed her arms over her chest like she was angry. But he knew better. She had a little glint in her eye and the slight tug of a smirk on her lips.

"You know, you can't just summon me like I'm your call girl," she said.

"I think I can. And I did."

He started walking very slowly towards her and she scooted up the bed just a little.

"This is wrong, Fitz. So. Wrong."

"That's weird because it feels right to me."

"This is your _marital_ bed with Mellie. I don't care if you guys are just married on paper, you're still married and I feel like a complete slut even sitting on this bed."

"You don't look like a slut," he said with a smile. "You look like a really hot lawyer lady who needs a good banging."

She threw her head back and laughed and Fitz stood in front of her. He opened her legs and nestled himself between them, then leaned down and nuzzled her neck.

"Mm, you smell good," he moaned.

She purred as he ran his nose along her neck but still resisted.

"This is wrong," she reminded him again.

"Okay, well, when I get up in the morning, I'll go find Sally and I'll ask her to pray for our demon souls. Would that make you feel better?"

Olivia chuckled and pulled him closer. "Maybe a little."

He gently pushed her back to the bed. "It should be you sharing this bed with me. You should be Mrs. Grant."

"Pope-Grant," she corrected.

Fitz rolled his eyes playfully and started to undo his tie. "Fine. Pope-Grant." He tossed his jacket and tie off, then stood in front of the bed and stripped down to nothing. Olivia whistled and he took a bow, before pulling off her heels and slowing disrobing her as well. Once they were both naked, he climbed on top of her and they shared a sweet, soft kiss. When he pulled away, he rubbed his thumb over her cheek.

"What do you want me to do to you?" he whispered.

She smiled and turned her head just enough to kiss his hand. "Make love to me."

"Consider it handled."

...

Olivia's phone alarm went off at five the next morning and Fitz could feel her fumbling around to turn it off. He heard her groan, then she lay still again. He smiled against her neck, only to feel her get up.

"Uh, uh, uh," he said as he pulled her back into him. "Get back here."

"Fitz," she said in a deep, groggy morning voice.

"Ooh, baby, don't say my name like that. I'll never let you go."

"I have to get up. I need to get out of here before people have a chance to see me."

"Nobody's gonna see you. Just stay here with me for a few more minutes." He kissed her shoulder. "Please? You feel so good in my arms."

She whimpered but didn't move, and within minutes, she was asleep again. Fitz smiled at his victory and nuzzled himself closer before he fell asleep again, too. They were both jarred out of their sleep by loud knocking on the door.

"Mr. President?" Cyrus called. "Sir, it's 8:00. We have a conference call at 9:00."

His eyes snapped open, as did Olivia's, and she jumped out of his arms.

"Shit, shit, shit," she whispered, searching for her clothes. Fitz hopped out of bed to help her with the search, but the knocking didn't stop.

"Sir?" Cyrus yelled.

"Yeah, Cy, just a minute," Fitz shouted back.

"There's something else we need to talk about. Can I come in?"

Olivia looked completely panicked and she nearly opened her mouth to say something, but Fitz cupped his hand over her lips. He shook his head and said, "ssh." He thought for a few seconds then gestured for her to get back into the bed. She scurried underneath the sheets and Fitz threw the comforter over her body. He tried his best to make it look like nobody was there, but even her small body was hard to hide.

"One second," he said again in Cyrus's direction. He kicked all of her clothes under the bed and did a double-check to make sure he hadn't missed anything. He yanked some sweatpants out of his drawer and took a quick breath to control himself. He opened the door for Cyrus but made sure to stand in the way to give the message that Cyrus was not allowed to just walk in.

"Cy," he said with a smile. "Sorry, I must have overslept."

Fitz noticed that Cyrus was giving him a strange look, and he hoped like hell that he didn't have bite marks on his neck or scratches on his body.

"Uh, sir, there's an issue," Cyrus said lowly. "There are rumblings that Hollis Doyle has been getting very chummy with Sally Langston. Too chummy. Rumors are that he's offering to fund her campaign if she runs for your seat."

Fitz sighed. "We've already discussed this. I'm not running for re-election, so whatever the two of them want to do is none of my concern."

"I'm just worried, sir, that Hollis may get a little loose-lipped, if you know what I mean." He opened his mouth like he was going to say more, then he stopped. His eyes seemed to zero in on something behind Fitz, and he frowned. "Whose shoes are those?"

Fitz spun around and panic flooded his body when he realized that in the midst of trying to hide Olivia's clothes, he had completely forgotten to do something with her heels, which were strewn about the floor and right in Cyrus's line of vision. While his head was turned, Cyrus pushed past him into the room.

"Cyrus," Fitz said authoritatively. But it was too late. Cyrus had walked right in front of the bed and clearly saw the lumpy figure under the covers. He turned to Fitz and looked at him in sheer shock.

"You brought a _woman_ up here?" he asked.

Fitz closed the door and ran a hand through his hair.

"Cy..."

"I cannot believe this," Cyrus said with a dry, sarcastic laugh. "You actually brought some _woman_ into your _private_ bedroom in the _White House_? Are you _insane_?" he asked in a loud whisper. He threw his hands up and began to pace back and forth. "I mean, I know Mellie's finally out of your hair but you couldn't even wait a day? Or pick a less conspicuous place?"

Cyrus stopped, as he if he was struck by a thought.

"And what about Liv?" he asked. "Liv, the woman you claim is the love of your life. The woman you can't seem to function without. The woman I _thought_ was the end all, be all of Fitzgerald Grant!"

Before Cyrus could continue with his tirade, Fitz went to the side of the bed and pulled the covers down just enough to reveal Olivia's head. She smiled sheepishly and waved at Cyrus.

"Hey, Cy."

He looked between Olivia and Fitz and shook his head.

"I don't know whether to be relieved or furious that it's you under there."

"I vote for relieved," she offered.

"Think again! Have you both lost your minds?! Do you know what would happen if someone caught you? Or heard you? Because I'm sure you didn't just stay up all night, trading stories and eating marshmallows!"

"Okay, calm down," Fitz said in an even tone.

"No, no, this is what you two want, isn't it?" he accused. "Yeah, you couldn't get away with releasing your damn sex tape or going on The View and spilling the beans about your love, so you figured you'd just keep fucking in public until someone figured it out! Isn't it enough that you sneak off every night to see her?" he asked Fitz.

"Well, first of all, this is hardly what I would call 'public'..."

"...and he doesn't see me _every_ night," Olivia added.

Fitz had to bite his lip to keep from laughing when Cyrus's face went beet red. His stumpy little body seemed rooted in place, like he was going to explode at any second.

"You two are going to be the death of me. Do you know that?" he told them. "I swear to God, you're worse than some horny little teenagers sneaking underneath the bleachers to fondle each other. How the hell are you going to get out of here without people knowing?" he asked, cutting his eyes to Olivia.

"Tom got her here and he'll get her out," Fitz offered. "Don't worry."

Cyrus shook his head and hands like he didn't know what to do with them. He pointed a finger and Olivia and said, "You. Get your ass out of that bed, put on some clothes, and get the hell out of here before someone sees you. And you," he said, pointing that same finger at Fitz, "get your head in the game and get ready for his conference call. And go take a shower. You smell like vagina."

And with that, he huffed out of the room and slammed the door behind him. Fitz turned to Olivia, who was on the verge of hysterics, and he asked, "how would he know what vagina smells like?"

She threw her head back in a hearty laugh that he loved. While her neck was vulnerable, he tried to scoot in next to her and snuggle, but she pushed him away.

"Uh-uh, no sir," she said, rolling to the other side of the bed and getting off. "You got me into trouble."

"He'll get over it. Come here."

"No! I have a job to get to and so do you. A very important one, at that."

"Can't I just call in sick?"

Olivia bent over to retrieve her things from under the bed and he whistled. When she stood up, she gave him an annoyed look that only amused him more.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this," she said, as she put on her bra and slipped her skirt on over her legs.

"Didn't take much talking either," he said smugly. He put his hands behind his hand and crossed his ankles. "I guess I just got it like that."

"Wow, you are really something else this morning."

"I don't know why you're rushing. You can't go anywhere until Tom comes to get you."

She stopped dressing when the realization of the situation hit her.

"You're not gonna hold me hostage here all day, are you?" He smiled and shrugged. "Fiiiitz," she whined.

"Oh, calm down, my little workaholic. Tom will be up to get you at 10." He got off the bed and kissed her forehead. "Now I'm off to take a shower so I can get back to saving the world. Feel free to relax."

He dropped his sweatpants and sauntered into the shower. He got the water just short of scolding hot, then stood underneath the downpour. He was about to grab his shower gel, when he felt a hand on his stomach. He looked down and saw Olivia's brown skin against him and he smiled. He turned around and welcomed the sight of her naked body.

"Well, hello there," he said. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I've got 'til 10," she said with a shrug. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pushed herself into him. "Make as well make the most of it."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

It was nearly midnight when Fitz quietly let himself into Olivia's apartment. It had been over a week since they'd last seen each other, as Fitz was out of the country for a few days and Olivia was working on a new case that kept her at the office until late at night. As he walked through the front door, he wasn't sure whether Olivia would be asleep or not. When he spotted her sitting at her dining room table, typing furiously on her computer, he smiled.

"Honey, I'm home," he said.

She looked up and smiled, but he noticed that the smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Hey. Using your key, I see."

"I hope you don't mind."

"That's why I gave it to you."

He locked the door then came behind her chair and kissed the top of her head.

"Working on your case?" he asked.

"Yeah. It's gotten quite a bit more complicated than I originally thought."

Fitz took off his jacket and hung it on the back of a chair. He undid his tie and opened the fridge, searching for a late night snack.

"Care for some wine?" he asked.

"Uh...no. Thanks."

He furrowed his eyebrows and laughed.

"What? Olivia Pope is turning down wine? Hell must have frozen over."

He expected her to laugh, and when she didn't, he turned around and saw her staring blankly at her screen. He closed the fridge door and settled into the seat next to her.

"Hey, I was just kidding."

"Yeah, I know."

"Is everything okay?"

"Mm hm."

She went back to typing and kind of flinched when he touched her arm. He frowned and touched her again and she took a deep breath like she was trying her best not to pull away.

"Livi," he said softly.

When her eyes met his, he was even more convinced that something was wrong. Her brown eyes were wide with apprehension and uncertainty and it made his heart lurch.

"What is going on?"

"Nothing," she said with a shrug. "It's just this case. It's stressing me out, I guess."

"This isn't how you look when your stress is work-related," he told her. "This is the look you get when it's something personal. Did something happen while I was gone?"

"No," she said quickly.

"Are you sure? You know whatever is going on, you can tell me. Whatever it is, we can work through it."

He rubbed her arm and for a brief second, her lips trembled like she was going to come clean about what was bothering her. But just as quickly, she straightened herself up and fixed a smile on her face.

"Fitz, it's nothing."

She returned to her computer and he scooted back in his chair and stared at her. After several moments of silence, she looked at him with an annoyed expression.

"Are you just going to stare at me all night?"

"Or as long as it takes for you to stop lying to me."

"I'm not lying."

"Please don't insult my intelligence, Olivia," he said seriously. "I know you. I might even know you better than you know yourself, so don't tell me that there's nothing wrong when there clearly is. I thought we were a team."

"We are."

"Then open up to me. Everything was fine before I left, and now you're all detached and quiet. Did I do something?"

"No," she said softly. "You haven't done anything wrong. You've been wonderful."

"Then what? Did Mellie or Cyrus say something to upset you?"

"No."

He leaned over and took both of her hands in his. He kissed them separately and pleaded with his eyes.

"Talk to me, baby," he whispered.

Again, her lips trembled and she looked away, but he knew that this time she was going to talk to him. He waited patiently for her to work through whatever was holding her back. He watched her eyes fill up with tears and she wiped them away before they could spill down her cheeks. His heart broke at seeing her in such pain, but he still waited. She took a deep breath and locked eyes with him again. Time seemed to stand still in the seconds before she told him what was on her chest.

"I'm pregnant," she whispered.

Fitz could fell his jaw drop and the only word he could articulate was, "what?"

Olivia nodded and didn't bother to wipe the tears away. "I found out while you were gone, but I didn't want to tell you over the phone."

"I'm glad you didn't." He took her face in his hands and wiped away her tears. "Honey, this is great news. Why are you so upset?"

"It's not great news," she said as her voice wavered. "We were supposed to make it out of your presidency before this happened and this baby will be here before then. People will ask me who the father is and even if I don't tell them, they'll figure it out once we're together after you leave office. And they'll do the math, Fitz. They'll know we were sleeping together this whole time."

"Then they'll know." He smiled at her and continued to wipe her tears. "I don't care."

"But I do. That's what you don't understand. That's what you never understood. I care what people think about you because I know you're a good man. I don't want people to look back at you and say you were just another cheating politician. You're so much more than that. This will ruin your legacy."

"Olivia, listen to me," he said as he scooted so closely that their knees were touching. "I want my legacy to be one of a man who listened to his heart. I only have this one life, and I'm not going to live it being scared of what other people think. I want you. And I want our baby. And if that means that people will talk about me, then oh well. But I don't want this upsetting you, okay? You've got another person to think about now and all this stress isn't good for you."

She sniffled a few times and made no outward gestures that she understood what he was saying.

"We need to tell Mellie," she said after a few minutes.

"What?" he frowned. "Why?"

"Because she's your wife and she has a right to know."

"When are you going to get off this 'she's my wife' kick? She's my wife in name only."

"It's name that still counts, Fitz. And whether you like it or not, we're all in this thing together."

Fitz sighed and stood up. He walked around a few times to clear his head.

"She's not gonna like this," he said.

"I know."

"She'll ask you to get rid of it."

"I know."

An uncomfortable silence stretched out between them and his heart pounded with the weight of his next question.

"Would you?" he asked quietly. "I mean...are you gonna keep it?"

She looked at him like she was hurt by the question. "Of course I am."

"Well, with how upset you are, I wasn't sure..."

Olivia got up and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I love you," she told him. "And I want to have your baby. I wouldn't have ever told you about it if I wasn't going to keep it. I'm just upset because of the circumstances. I wish this was happening under better conditions."

He smiled, feeling relief at her explanation, and he kissed her forehead.

"I know it's not ideal, Liv, but things between us rarely are. And we still manage to make it work. We'll make this work, too."

"I'm scared," she admitted in a soft voice.

"I know. Me too. But I'm also happy."

He rubbed her back and she pressed her face into his chest. They stood like that for a while before Olivia spoke again.

"Do you think I'll be a good mom?"

"I think you'll be an amazing, kick-ass mom. And definitely the best-dressed mother at the preschool."

For the first time all night, Olivia laughed and Fitz felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Thank you," she said. "For making me feel better."

"That's my job. I'm your man."

"You are my man, huh?"

"Your very capable, fertile man." Olivia laughed again and he leaned down to kiss her. "We'll make it through this, babe."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

...

The atmosphere was tense as Olivia and Fitz sat on one couch, Mellie sat on the other and Cyrus stood in the corner of the living room. They were in a cabin at Camp David, as Fitz had decided it was best to get away from any prying ears when he dropped the bomb on his wife. He expected her to shout or scream or maybe even throw something. But instead, she was eerily quiet. Her icy blue eyes travelled from him, to Olivia, and back again.

"Pregnant," Mellie said. She let the word hang in the air like a rain cloud.

"Yes," Fitz said calmly.

Cyrus made some kind of noise in the corner and paced back and forth.

"Did you all plan this?" she asked.

"Of course not. Why the hell would we plan this right now?"

"I don't know, Fitzgerald. Maybe because we thwarted your plan to go on TV and tell the whole world about how in love you are with a woman that's not your wife. A pregnancy will be pretty hard to hide after a few months and you could just blab it all then."

"Mellie, stop with the conspiracy theories. This wasn't planned, okay? It just happened."

"Weren't you using protection?"

"I don't need to protect myself against Liv."

"Oh, please," she said, rolling her eyes. "Save me the romantic bullshit. You knew pregnancy was a possibility."

"Yeah and so did you! But you were all for us sleeping together because it meant that you didn't have to pretend to want to be around me! You were happy that I fell in love with Liv because it got me out of your hair."

"I was _not_ happy that you fell in love with another woman!" she shouted. A flame ignited behind her blue eyes and the cool exterior melted with her anger. "But unlike you, I could put my own feelings aside for the greater good."

"Who needs to cut the bullshit now?" he screamed right back. "Don't act like this is all some big altruistic deed on your part. You went along for this ride because you saw something in it for yourself. If you stay the course, maybe it'll be you in that big seat instead of me and that's all you care about."

"You have made it abundantly clear that you don't love me and you never have, so you can stop with the hurt husband charade. You used me and I used you and if you say anything different, you're a liar."

Fitz looked like he was about to jump out of his seat, but Olivia discreetly grabbed his hand and squeezed it. He turned to her and she wordlessly asked him to stop fighting with Mellie. He made an effort to calm down and squeezed her hand in return.

"Oh my God," Mellie scoffed. "Really? All she has to do is look at you with those big doe eyes and you're putty in her hands. It's completely pathetic."

Fitz clenched his jaw and Olivia decided to step in before the shouting started back up.

"Mellie, we wanted to tell you because you have a right to know. This was absolutely not planned but I don't think it's helping for you to just shout at each other."

"Then what do you think would help, Olivia?" she asked sarcastically. "Hm? Ms. Fixer? How are you going to fix this?"

"I can't fix it."

"Do I even have to ask whether you're planning to keep it?"

Fitz squeezed her hand again and she offered him a small smile before answering.

"Yes, I'm going to keep it."

"And what will you tell people when they ask who the father is?"

"While Fitz is still in office, I'll simply tell people that it's personal and none of their business. After he leaves, I'm sure people will figure it out because we plan to be together."

Mellie stood up and shook her head.

"This is ridiculous," she said. "You two are living in a fantasy world."

"If you don't like it, Mel, we can always go with my first plan," Fitz said. "I can get Oprah on the phone and schedule that interview and spill the beans right now. Or you can tough it out like a big girl, ride out the rest of this term and then part ways as amicably as possible. Which one will it be?"

Mellie looked to Cyrus, who just shrugged his shoulders like he didn't know what to say about any of it.

"Fine," she said. "I'll go along with it. But I'm telling you right now that this won't work. People are going to ask questions."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

"I want to talk to you alone."

Fitz started to object but Olivia told him it was okay. She and Cyrus left the room and closed the door behind them. Mellie and Fitz stood a few feet apart from each other, staring and fuming. Mellie shook her head and laughed dryly.

"It 'just happened'?" she asked. "Please. Like you haven't been trying to knock her up for years."

"This was not planned. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

"Fitz, please! I saw the tape, remember? You were telling her three years ago that you wanted her to have your baby! And now it just happened? I wasn't born yesterday, you know."

"What is the point of his conversation? Planned or unplanned, she's pregnant with my baby and there's nothing you can do about it."

"I just want to remind you that you have other kids. Are you going tell them that you're expecting a child by your mistress?"

Fitz bit his tongue not to yell at her for calling Olivia his mistress because he knew she was only doing it to get under his skin.

"When the time is right, I'll tell them."

"Do you think they'll forgive you?"

"I hope so."

Mellie shook her head, this time in disbelief.

"You're willing to give up your relationship with your own kids for her and that little bastard inside her. Your devotion never ceases to amaze me."

He stepped closer to her until his nose was almost touching hers.

"A devotion that could have been yours if you weren't such an evil bitch," he spat. "Green isn't a good color on you, Mel. You and I have run our course and the sooner you come to grips with that, the better."

He brushed past her and was almost out the door when she heard her sniffle. The sound made him stop in his tracks. He wasn't sure he had ever actually heard or seen Mellie cry. Despite how angry she had made him, some part of him felt sorry for her. Some part of him wanted to apologize. He didn't speak, but he didn't leave, either.

"You're right, you know," she said, wiping her face with a handkerchief. "When you said that I was happy to pawn you off to Olivia. I thought it was just sex and honestly, I was fine with her satisfying that need for you. I didn't think it would turn into...this."

He nodded and almost felt relieved that they were having an honest conversation.

"It did," he said.

"I know."

"So you can either get on board and we can try to be friends, or you can keep fighting me and trying to stop something that's inevitable. It's your choice."

"I do love you, Fitz. I'm not in love with you and I don't love you like she does, but I do love you, in my own bitchy way, I guess."

He hung his head in shame and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. You gave me three beautiful children and we spent twenty years together. Of course I love you, too. I would really, really like for us not to hate each other, Mel. Is that possible?"

"I think so."

"Okay." He turned to leave again, but stopped one last time. "I'm sorry, Mellie. I never meant to hurt you with any of this."

"I know."

With that, he left the room and went outside, where Olivia was leaning against the car. She looked worried about him, but her concern dissipated when he smiled and pulled her into him for a hug.

"Hey, you didn't kill her, did you?" she asked.

"No."

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah. For the first time in a while, I think everything is okay."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Olivia Pope didn't often get nervous. Over the years, she had trained herself to be calm, poised and clear-headed in times of crisis. It was how she became so good at her job. But on a subzero February morning, as she stood in front of her full-length mirror and checked out her body profile, she was nervous. Even in her designer black turtleneck and loose-fitting slacks, she could still see the clear outline of her six-month-pregnant belly.

She had been able to successfully hide the pregnancy for the past few months, but with her eyes trained on her stomach, she knew those days were over. Her tummy was only going to expand and she would no longer be able to cover it up. It didn't help that she had her first real outing later that morning: standing by with a client while he did an interview with Kimberly Mitchell. She went back through her walk-in closet and dug out one of her favorite white coats. She buttoned it up and checked herself out again. It didn't still completely hide her condition, but it would have to do.

An hour later, she was pulling up to her client's picturesque home in the suburbs of Virginia. The client, Adam Brenton, was a wealthy D.C. businessman that had recently been accused of having an affair with an employee. A male employee. Despite the fact that Olivia had her suspicions that the allegations were true, the client vehemently denied them and insisted on clearing his name. And there was no easier way to do that than through a primetime interview with one of the city's top reporters.

"Ms. Pope." Mrs. Brenton answered the door with a smile. "We're so glad you're here. Please come in out of this freezing weather."

"Thank you."

"Here, let me take your coat."

Olivia's hands instinctively grabbed for her coat to keep Mrs. Brenton from exposing her stomach. When the woman looked at her strangely, Olivia smiled sheepishly and released the jacket. She would have to bite the bullet sometime, and it looked like today was that day.

"I'll just put it in the coat closet," Mrs. Brenton explained. She walked off to some side room and Olivia self-consciously crossed her arms. She waited for the wife to return, then followed her into a study where Mr. Brenton was already seated. Kimberly Mitchell was in the corner talking to one of her cameramen, and when she saw Olivia, she smiled brightly. Her eyes immediately dropped to Olivia's midsection, and her eyebrows nearly shot off her head.

"Liv," she said as she walked over. "What...when did this happen?" she asked, gesturing to her stomach.

As much as Olivia wanted to tell her to back off, Kimberly was a friend and she didn't want to come off like a raging bitch.

"A few months ago," she said casually.

"Yeah, I gathered that. But I mean..." Kimberly waved her hands around like she was searching for the right words. "I didn't even know you were in a relationship."

Olivia knew that she would have to get used to comments like that, but the sentiment pissed her off more than she thought it would.

"Kim, I don't want to be rude, but are we here to talk about your interview with my client or my personal life?"

Kimberly seemed to get the message loud and clear, and she immediately switched to what kinds of questions were off-limits. Olivia gave her a short list of things that Mr. Brenton absolutely would not answer but told her that, for the most part, everything was fair game. She then pulled her client aside and spoke to him for a few minutes about what to expect and how to conduct himself. When everyone was ready, Olivia stood near the doorway, keeping a watchful eye while the interview got underway. About halfway through it, her phone buzzed and she excused herself from the room. She walked a few doors down to make sure nobody could hear her, then she answered the phone.

"Hi," she said softly.

"Hi," Fitz said in a happy tone. "How's my baby doing?"

Olivia smiled and rubbed her stomach. "He's good. He must still be asleep because he hasn't been kicking me this morning."

"Mm hm. And how's my big baby doing?"

"Annoyed," she admitted.

"Oh no, what happened?"

"Nothing. It's just...I'm here with my client while he does an interview with Kimberly Mitchell and her eyes nearly bugged out of her head when she saw me. She didn't come right out and ask me who the dad is but she implied it."

Fitz sighed. "We knew this was gonna happen."

"I know, I know. But somehow, I still wasn't prepared."

"Well, you've gotten the first encounter behind you. It'll be easier next time."

"I hope so."

"Aw, sweet baby," he said in a tone that always made her smile, "you sound so sad. I wish you didn't have to deal with that alone."

"I'm not sad. I think I'm just now coming to terms with all of this. As crazy as that sounds."

"It's not crazy at all. You're about to be a first-time mommy. It's overwhelming. I'm only so calm because this is my fourth rodeo. I'm a professional dad at this point."

Olivia chuckled and sneaked a peek down the hallway to make sure she was still alone.

"Will I see you tonight?" she asked.

"Of course."

"Good. I probably need to head back in and make sure this guy isn't completely screwing up."

"Okay. I love you, Liv."

"I love you, too."

...

Sally Langston sat behind the large wooden desk in her office, with her hands folded on top of a folder. Hollis Doyle sat across from her with his leg kicked up on her table.

"Mr. Doyle, I'm glad to see that you've made yourself comfortable. Now what can I do for you? I have an important meeting in twenty minutes."

"Vice President Langston, I sure am glad that you took time outta your business schedule to meet withe me. You know I just think it's a cryin' shame that you weren't able to keep your spot in that big chair in the Oval."

Sally raised an eyebrow but didn't speak.

"Where do you see yourself goin' with this administration, Miss Vice President?" he asked. "I suspect that Fitz is gonna cake-walk right through the next election. People still love him and feel sorry for him gettin' shot in the head and all."

"Then that should make my job relatively easy," she said calmly. "If he wins in a landslide, I keep my post as Vice President."

"Well here's the thing, Sally," he said, sitting up a little. "History shows that it's awful hard for a person to be VP for 8 years, then get elected President after that. People get tired of seein' your face, you know what I mean? They want somethin' new."

"What are you suggesting, Mr. Doyle?"

"I'm suggestin' that if you want to be in that big seat, which I suspect you do, you're gonna have to push ole Fitz outta the way. You'll need to give him a reason not to run again. Or hell, give him a reason to step down early and you can take over. Then you'll be the one coastin' through the election."

Sally shook her head in the middle of his sentence. "Mr. Doyle, I'm not sure what you're implying but I don't play dirty. The Lord is righteous and if he sees fit to intervene, then that's what he'll do. But I won't have any part of a scheme to bring down the President of the United States."

Hollis smiled and held his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "All right. All right, that's fine." He stood up and turned to leave, then looked at her over his shoulder. "But if you change your mind..."

When he left, Sally shook her head and said a short prayer. She knew that the world of D.C. politics was ruthless and cutthroat but she had promised herself a long time ago that she wouldn't stoop to that level. She was to be a shepherd in a world of wolves and although the offer was tempting, she wouldn't participate. Personal feelings aside, Fitzgerald Grant had overcome a lot and as far as she was concerned, if the Lord saw fit to let him live, there must have been a reason.

She gathered herself and walked from her office to a conference room, where she, the President, both Chiefs-of-Staff and the heads of the military were going to meet about some homeland security issues. She was a bit early and she pushed through the already slightly open door to see that Fitz was alone, standing in the corner and speaking lowly on his cell phone. Sally almost let him know that she was there, when she heard him say, _"Aw, sweet baby, you sound so sad. I wish you didn't have to deal with that alone." _ She realized that she had interrupted a private conversation with his wife, so she quietly backed out. She was about to close the door when she heard him say something else.

_"It's not crazy at all. You're about to be a first-time mommy. It's overwhelming. I'm only so calm because this is my fourth rodeo. I'm a professional dad at this point."_

Sally frowned at the term "first-time mommy." He and Mellie had three kids, so she quickly realized that he couldn't have been talking to his wife. She closed to the door until there was just a little sliver open and although she felt horribly guilty about it, she pressed her ear to the open slot. It was hard to still hear him, but what she heard next made her heart stop.

_"Okay. I love you, Liv."_

Her mind raced at all the possibilities of who he could be talking to and what they were talking about. She only knew of one person named Liv, and that was Olivia Pope. She never really knew the woman that well, but she did know that Olivia was a fixture in the president's life. Even after she had left the White House professionally, she was always around. Always involved. Was it possible that she was in some sort of a relationship with the President?

When the conversation ended, Sally quickly removed herself from the door and waited a minute before walking in. Fitz greeted her with a head nod and throughout the meeting, she kept staring at him, wondering. She hadn't pegged him as the cheating type, but if her instincts were correct, that's exactly what he was. For the rest of the day, she battled with herself about taking Hollis Doyle up on his offer. She thought about telling him her suspicions about Fitz and Olivia. She prayed on it. And it was only after she prayed that she made up her mind. She picked up her phone and with shaky hands, she called Hollis Doyle.

"Miss Vice President," he said. "Change your mind?"

She took a deep breath. "Yes. I changed my mind."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Olivia awoke to the sound of buzzing under her head. She groaned and blindly reached for whatever was creating the sound, and when she came up empty, she was finally forced to open her eyes. The sun nearly blinded her and she groaned again, turning her head the other way. It wasn't until she remembered that the sun wasn't normally out when she woke up that she realized it must have been late. She jerked up and threw her pillows around until she found her phone twisted up in the sheets. Abby's name flickered with a call and Olivia answered as she hurriedly got out of bed.

"Liv, where are you?" Abby asked. Her voice was tense and worried.

"At home. Sorry, I know it's late," Olivia said she rushed to her closet. "I must have overslept my alarm. I'm on my way."

"No, wait, Liv..."

But Olivia hung up and tossed the phone onto the bed. Her mind was racing with all the things she had to do later in the day, but as fast as she wanted to move, she was still dragging. The further she got into her pregnancy, the more exhausted she became. Getting up in the morning was a chore and getting ready took forever.

By the time she got through her morning routine and wrapped herself in her white coat, the clock read 9:30. She locked the door to her place and while she waited on the elevator, she looked through her phone for the first time all morning. She had three other missed calls from Abby, one from Harrison, and four from Cyrus. She frowned, wondering what on Earth could be so important that so many people were calling her. With no service on the elevator, she waited anxiously until the doors opened to the first floor. She was about to call Cyrus when she came to the front door of her building and saw the media circus right in front of her. There were cameras and reporters and Olivia felt a sinking sensation in her stomach.

Somehow, she knew all those phone calls had to do with what was waiting right outside her doors. She assumed that it had something to do with a client, a very high profile client, until she walked outside and ten different microphones were in her face. The reporters were all shouting at the same time and one of the cameramen got so close that Olivia had to push him out of her way.

"Ms. Pope, is it true that the President of the United States is the father of your baby?"

"Why has President Grant been coming to your apartment in the middle of the night?"

"Have you been sleeping together since the campaign trail?"

"Does the First Lady know about your affair?"

The questions came at a dizzying pace, from all angles, and Olivia had no idea how to react. She was completely off guard and every bit of training and advice that she had given to her clients that had been in similar situations flew right out of the window. She put her head down and walked as quickly as she could to her car, and all the media people followed. The questions still came, even after she had closed the driver's side door. She tried to maneuver her car but they still in front of it, demanding answers. So she backed up hastily and sped away.

Before she knew it, tears were rolling down her face and her heart was beating so quickly that her hands were trembling. She drove a few miles away and then pulled off to the side of the road. With trembling fingers, she called Cyrus, who answered on the first ring.

"What the hell is going on?" she asked, unable to control the quiver in her voice.

"I tried to call you," he said solemnly. "I don't know how it got out, but it did. It's all over the news. Pictures and videos of Fitz coming to your place late at night and leaving early in the morning. Some campaign photos of the two of you that might otherwise look innocent but now look suspicious. They've even got records of the late night phone calls from the West Wing."

Olivia's body went haywire as Cyrus laid the bad news on her. Between her sobs, she could barely breathe. She thought she might hyperventilate, and then Fitz's voice came over the line.

"Liv," he said sweetly. "Baby, you have to calm down."

"Fitz," she cried. "What...what...?"

"I don't know. But come here so we can talk about it."

"Everybody knows," she said pathetically.

"We'll figure it out. We'll do damage control, okay? This is your job. You can do this."

She knew that he was trying to comfort her, pump her up so that she could give herself the Olivia Pope treatment. But it wasn't in her. Of all the people she had ever been able to fix, she wasn't one of them.

"I can't do it," she admitted, still crying.

"Then I'll be the strong one this time," he promised. "Just get here so we can figure this out. Do I need to send someone for you?"

"No, no," she said quickly. "That would only make it worse."

"Okay. Then come to me and let's work it out. Okay? I love you."

She nodded repeatedly but hung up without saying anything else. She took a few minutes to get herself together and once the tears stopped, she drove straight for the White House. As she went through the security process of checking in, she felt that all eyes were on her, like everyone in the world had just been let into her deepest secret. She tried to keep her head down as she finally made it to the Oval Office, where Fitz, Mellie and Cyrus were waiting. Fitz rushed to her and took her face in his hands, cradling her even with his wife only ten feet away.

"Liv, are you okay? he asked softly. "Talk to me, baby."

Her eyes were diverted to the TV that had been rolled into the room. She detached herself from Fitz and grabbed the remote from the couch. She turned up the volume and watched as several pictures of her and Fitz were paraded across the screen.

_"...in case you've just joined us, reports broke this morning that President Fitzgerald Grant, III has been carrying on an affair with high-powered crisis manager, Olivia Pope. The two met nearly three years ago when Pope was enlisted to help with then Governor Grant's struggling campaign. She was subsequently appointed as the Director of Communications at the White House, where she stayed for a brief time until opening her own firm at Olivia Pope & Associates. Reports had been filing that the two were involved and this network has since received phone records from the White House, showing hundreds of late-night calls from the West Wing to Pope's private number. Pictures of the two have also surfaced. But, perhaps most damning, are the videos released just this morning of the President arriving at Pope's home in the middle of the night and leaving early the following morning on several different occasions. It is now suspected that Pope, who is six months pregnant, is carrying the President's child. When confronted by reporters outside of her home this morning, Pope did not give a comment. The White House has yet to release a statement. Back to you, John."_

John started talking about something else, but Olivia tuned him out. She felt like she was going to throw up, and her legs began to shake. Before she could pass out on the ground, Mellie took her by the elbow and eased her onto the sofa. Olivia stared straight ahead, trying to process it all.

"This is a disaster," Cyrus said, as if that wasn't already obvious. "This. Is. A. Disaster."

"Thank you, Cy," Fitz said dryly. "We get it. It's bad."

"But it's what you wanted, right, Fitz?" Mellie asked, her voice covered in venom. "You wanted the world to know and you got your wish. You're probably the one that leaked the information."

"Me?!" he shouted. "What about you? Are you sure you're not the inside source that told them about the late-night phone calls and conveniently had video of my visits? We know how handy you are with a camera!"

Mellie shouted back and him, then Cyrus joined in, and pretty soon the three of them were in a screaming match. Olivia couldn't hear herself think and she finally came out of her fog and yelled "enough!" Cyrus, Fitz and Mellie all looked at her and she shook her head.

"Whether we like it or not, we are a team," she said lowly. "We got into this together, and we'll get out of it together. Fitz, Mellie didn't release this information because what happens to you, happens to her and this could potentially end your presidency and her time as First Lady. Mellie, Fitz didn't leak this because he would _never_ want me to be humiliated like I was this morning. Nobody is this room is the leak and whoever is, it doesn't matter. What we have to focus on now is damage control."

The other three noticeably calmed and Fitz had the decency to look guilty.

"So what's our next step?" Cyrus grumbled. "They've got you two dead to rights. There's no getting out of this except through a confession."

Olivia closed her eyes and took a few moments to just think. Everyone else waited quietly while she put her fixer hat on.

"We need a story," she finally said. "We need some kind of plausible reason for the photos and the phone calls and the visits. Something that we can say with a straight face."

"He was consulting you," Mellie said immediately. "You two became close friends on the campaign and after you left the White House, he still consulted you for advice."

"But what about when they ask why it was all so secretive?" Cyrus asked.

"He's the President. How would it look for him to be talking to a crisis manager out in public? People would think something was wrong. He did this to keep people from worrying."

Olivia almost smiled. Mellie was always thinking on her feet and one day, that woman was going to make one hell of a politician.

"That's good," Olivia said. "That's really good, actually. I'll give a statement, denying the allegations and saying that you were consulting me and that we've never been anything more than good friends."

"And what about me?" Fitz asked. "Don't I need to give a statement, too?"

"Yes, but it needs to be much more formal. You need to do a sit-down interview with someone huge, preferably Oprah. It'll be one-on-one, so there won't be as much pressure."

Fitz nodded slowly, then a pained look came across his face. "That covers you and me. But what about the baby?"

All eyes fell on Olivia and she had to look away from him before she cried. As much as it absolutely killed her to say, she knew there was only one option.

"You have to deny being the father," she said quietly.

Fitz looked down and clenched his jaw. "This is my child."

"I know that. But if you admit that, then there's no point in denying any of the rest of it. People are going to think he's yours anyway, but you can't say that."

"And then what?" he asked, his voice tight with anger. "When he grows up, he's supposed to look back on this and think that his dad didn't love him? That was I ashamed of him? That I wanted to hide him?"

"That's not it, Fitz," Mellie broke in, her voice surprisingly sympathetic. "When he's old enough, you and Liv will explain to him that this was something that had to be done for your sake, for his sake, for this country's sake. It doesn't mean you don't love him. This is something you have to do because you _do_ love him."

Fitz shook his head and began to pace back and forth. Nobody said anything for a long while, and when he stopped walking around, his eyes fell on Olivia.

"This is what you want me to do?" he asked, his voice on the verge of cracking with tears.

"No. But it's what you need to do."

He sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. He shook his head, then gestured to Cyrus.

"Call Oprah," he said, his voice completely void of any enthusiasm. "Set it up."

Cyrus nodded and hightailed it out of the room. Sensing that Fitz and Olivia needed a moment, Mellie excused herself and closed the door behind her. Olivia and Fitz looked at each other, exchanging more in silence than words ever could. He took his hands out of his pockets and sat next to her on the couch.

"Don't make me do this," he said quietly. "Don't make me deny our baby."

"You have to. Or else, you might as well admit to everything."

"Then I'll admit to everything. We were going to do it before. What's the difference?"

"The difference is that before, it was on our terms. We were both prepared. We had a plan. And now we've been caught with our pants down and we're scrambling to make it right. That isn't the right way to do this."

"There isn't a right way in a situation like this. Everything about this is wrong."

"Not everything." She took his hand and caressed it. "Our love isn't wrong. And our little guy isn't wrong. And even though this is going to suck for a long time, in the end, it'll be worth it."

He sighed again but squeezed her hand. "I wish I could be with you tonight."

"You know you can't. It's a circus at my place."

"I don't want you staying there alone."

"I won't. I'll get Abby or Quinn to stay with me. Hell, maybe I'll have Harrison and Huck stay, too."

"It's not the same," he whispered. "I should be the one there with you. I should be the one taking the heat for all this, not you."

"Fitz, it took two of us to get into this situation. So there is no you or me. It's us, okay? And I won't be alone. I know you'll be thinking about me."

He nodded, then took their combined hands and kissed hers.

"I love you so much," he said. "I'd do anything for you, even lie through my teeth and tell Oprah Winfrey that you're just a friend."

Olivia chuckled and kissed his palm.

"You can do this, Fitz. I believe in you. And sometime soon, we'll finally be able to be together. Just think about that, okay?"

She could see in his eyes that denying her and their child was the last thing in the world he wanted to do. But she could also see how much he loved her and how much he wanted to protect her.

"Okay."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Olivia was a nervous wreck. For the past hour, she had been pacing back and forth in front of her TV, dreading and anticipating Fitz's primetime interview with Oprah. All the networks were going to carry it and she couldn't stop the uncomfortable churning in her stomach. For a week, she, Fitz, Mellie and Cyrus had gone over what Fitz would say during his interview, how he would say it, when to smile, when to laugh, and when to be serious. But she still was a wreck. Abby and Quinn had practically forced her to let them view it with her, and they sat on the couch, watching helplessly as she walked back and forth with her phone clutched to her hand.

"I should be there with him," she said. "I should be there." Then she stopped and looked at them. "Should I be there?"

"No," Abby said firmly. "You talked about this, Liv. If you were there with him, it would only fuel the flames of the rumors. You need to be detached. You've already made your statement and now it's time to let him make his. Without you. You're trying to convince people that you _don't_ love him, remember?"

Olivia nodded but was still unconvinced. She was a fixer. She was always waiting in the wings while her clients gave statements and did interviews. It went against everything in her nature not to be at Fitz's side.

"Liv, you need to calm down," Quinn said. "I don't think I've ever seen you this worked up."

"I can't calm down," she said, still pacing. "This is my life. This is his life. I...can't." She ran her fingers through her hair and kept walking around the living room. Her phone starting ringing and when she saw Cyrus's name on the screen, her heart stopped. She knew it was Fitz. She excused herself to the bedroom and closed the door behind her.

"Hi," she answered softly.

"Hi." He sounded calm, and that only made her more anxious. "I go on in ten minutes."

"I know. Trust me, I'm counting down the seconds."

"You sound like you're on edge."

"That's an understatement," she said dryly. "I feel like I'm going to pass out, or throw up, or both."

He chuckled. "Don't you trust me?"

"Of course. But this is still a really big deal, Fitz. _Everything_ is riding on this."

"I know."

Olivia sat on the edge of her bed, then lay on her side as silence came over the phone.

"Why do you want me to do this, Liv?" he asked quietly. "Tell me why I'm doing this."

"Because you're a good man. And you don't deserve to have everything you've worked for trashed just because we inconveniently fell in love. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. So don't throw away this amazing job and life because you think you might lose me. You won't. Even if we have to wait until we're old, I'm going to be with you."

He sighed and she could picture the exact look on his face. "Okay," he said. "They're calling me over."

Her heart spiked and she nodded even though he couldn't see her. "Good luck."

"Tell me you love me."

She smiled and said with every ounce of feeling in her heart, "I love you."

"I'll call you when it's over."

He hung up and Olivia looked at her phone for a second, wondering if she had made the right decision. Before she could get too deep into her own head, though, Abby knocked and gestured to the living room.

"It's about to start."

Olivia took a deep breath and grabbed a blanket, then followed Abby into the living room. She made herself comfortable in the middle and spread the blanket for Abby and Quinn. They all huddled together and although she was still nervous, Olivia was thankful to have her friends with her.

None of them spoke when the news channel switched to the live interview with Oprah and Fitz. The camera was on Oprah, who looked radiant and focused. Olivia panicked momentarily, thinking that maybe she should have lined up a softer interviewer. But it was too late for that.

"Good evening, America," Oprah said in her commanding voice. "Tonight, I am interviewing the President of the United States, Fitzgerald Grant, III. Let's welcome in the President."

The camera panned out and Olivia's heart skipped a beat when she saw Fitz sitting in a chair across from Oprah, looking as handsome as ever. His blue suit fit him perfectly and he was wearing a beautiful blue tie that she had picked for him. His American flag pin caught a little bit of the lights from the cameras, and he leaned over to give Oprah a warm handshake.

"Mr. President," she said with a smile.

"Ms. Winfrey, it's always lovely to see you."

He smiled and looked completely at ease. Olivia couldn't help but slip into fixer mode, analyzing everything he did. He looked comfortable and charming. _Good start, _she thought.

"Mr. President, let's cut right to the chase. You know why we're here tonight."

"Yes, I do."

"There are rumors and what purports to be evidence of you having an affair with Olivia Pope. You wanted to do this interview to clear up those rumors."

"That's correct."

"Let's start with this. We all know that you have some kind of relationship with Ms. Pope. What is that relationship?"

Olivia shifted uncomfortably, feeling as though she was the one being interviewed instead of Fitz. She watched as he maneuvered slightly in his chair, crossing one leg over the other.

"Well, Olivia came into my life when my Chief-of-Staff called her up to help on my presidential campaign. At the time, I was losing in the polls to Sally Langston and I was in danger of not winning the Republican nomination. Olivia waltzed into my campaign headquarters, tore me to shreds in front of my entire staff and then proceeded to turn my whole life around and get me elected President." He kind of chuckled at the memory and Oprah smiled with him.

_Good job, baby. Lay on the charm._

"So you would describe your relationship as...?" Oprah asked.

He frowned as he thought for a minute. "At first, I'd say it was strictly professional. But we were on the road every day together, going over strategy and ideas and crunching the numbers. Eventually, we became friends and after that, we became very good friends. I would say that aside from my wife and Chief-of-Staff, she is my best friend."

Olivia's heart skipped once. She knew it was true but hearing him call her his best friend almost made her cry.

"So you're close," Oprah concluded.

"Yes, we are."

"Do you love her?"

There was a tense moment after the question, before Fitz smiled and nodded. "Yes, I do. Like I said, she's my best friend."

"Mr. President, are you now or have you ever been engaged in an affair with Olivia Pope?"

_Say no. Say no. Say no._

"No."

"Then how do you explain all the things that have come out, alleging that you are in fact having an affair? The late night phone calls, the pictures and the videos of you leaving her house early in the morning?"

Fitz looked amused and he shrugged like it was no big deal.

"You know, Oprah, people can take bits and pieces of things and run with them and turn them into things they're not. That's exactly what's happened here. I still talk to Olivia and I still consult her. But because I'm the President of the United States and she's a crisis manager, it's sometimes not the best idea for us to be seen out together or else people will think the sky is falling, you know?" He asked with a smile, and Oprah nodded. "The phone calls are me calling my friend. I'm the President. I work all day. I don't have a cell phone. So there's no other time or way for me to call her except at night, from my desk."

"Okay, what about the pictures?"

"Those pictures are perfectly innocent. We're talking and strategizing and laughing. We're not kissing or hugging or sneaking out of each other's rooms."

"Speaking of sneaking out of rooms, what about you going to her house at night and leaving in the morning? It certainly implies that you slept there and that something is going on."

"Again, I don't ever have a chance to see Olivia except when I'm not busy running the country. The only times I'm not doing that is late at night and there _are_ things that come up that I need to consult Olivia about that probably shouldn't be shared on the phone. She's my friend, yes, but she's also damn good at her job and if I have a crisis, she's the person I want to see."

Oprah nodded like she understood and Olivia released the vice grip she had on the blanket. She hadn't thought it was possible, but Fitz had pulled it off. He'd said everything he had to say without stumbling or hesitating. All of his answers were casual and matter-of-fact, like he wasn't even worried about them.

_He did it. _

"Given what you've just said, this question will seem silly," Oprah started, "but Ms. Pope is pregnant and the rumors are that you are the father of her child. Is that true?"

Fitz looked down for a second. That second turned into two, then five, then ten. Olivia's heart stopped and she, Abby, and Quinn stared, open-mouthed, at the screen.

"Say something, Fitz," Olivia said out loud. "Anything."

"Mr. President?" Oprah asked. "Are you the father of Olivia Pope's child?"

When he looked up again, all the confidence that he had displayed earlier was drained from his face. His eyes looked tired and he started to shake his head. Olivia felt relief, thinking that he was about to deny being her baby's father.

"I know what I _should_ say," he said quietly.

And that's when she nearly passed out. She started shaking her head, willing him to see her in her living room, pleading with him not to do what she knew he was about to do.

Fitz ran a hand over his face, then uncrossed his legs and undid his tie. Oprah waited patiently with a slightly confused look on her face.

"Oprah, would we mind if we started this interview over?" he asked. "I want to tell you the truth this time."

Olivia felt the vomit collect in her throat and she tried to get up and run away but Abby grabbed her arm and made her stay.

"Abby, I can't," she said pathetically.

"You can and you will," Abby said firmly. "Because the President of the United States is about to profess his love to you to the entire world."

The redhead stared at her like she meant business, so Olivia gathered up all her strength and allowed her eyes to go back to the TV screen, where Oprah was nodding her head.

"Okay," Oprah said. "Let's start over."

"What I said about first meeting Olivia was true," Fitz said, looking at Oprah like he was confessing his sins to a priest. "She did walk into my campaign headquarters and tear me apart and turn my life around. But I lied when I said it was strictly professional. The truth is that I fell in love with her the moment I saw her."

Quinn gasped, Abby squeezed Olivia's arm, and Olivia's mouth fell open.

"She was...stunning," he continued. "And brilliant. And feisty. And I tried to fire her because I knew I was in trouble."

"And what happened then?"

"I pursued her," he said with a sad smile. "Every chance I got. And she always turned me down. Of course, I was married and I knew that, but...she stole my heart and she wasn't even trying. I think I eventually wore her down and she realized that we had something special. And ever since then..." He shrugged and didn't finish the sentence.

"So, just for the record, Mr. President, are you now admitting that you _have_ been having an affair with Olivia Pope?"

He looked down at his folded hands for moment, then looked back up and nodded. "Yes."

Olivia nearly fainted right there on the couch.

"Since the campaign?"

"Yes. Off and on. But I've been having an emotional affair with her since the day she walked into my life."

Oprah put her finger under her chin and gave him a hard stare.

"What about your wife?"

"I love my wife," he said. "But it wasn't until I met Olivia that I realized I wasn't _in love_ with my wife. Mellie Grant is an incredible, fearless, beautiful woman. She's been the best partner I could have asked for. But she isn't Olivia."

"So now I'll go back to my earlier question. Did you father Olivia's baby?"

There was no hesitation the second time. "Yes."

"Mr. President, I appreciate your candor, but why tell me this now? Why tell the world? People probably would have believed your story about consulting her and just being friends. Why come clean and put everything at risk?"

"Because I can't stand the thought of my son looking back on this and thinking that I didn't love him, or that I was ashamed of him or his mother, when that couldn't be further from the truth. I'm tired of lying," he said with a pathetic laugh. "It's wearing me down. I can't do it anymore. I don't want to do it anymore."

"What do you want people to know about Olivia Pope? I'm sure you know that people will say she's a home-wrecker, so what do you want them to know about her?"

He smiled sadly. "I'm the home-wrecker. I was the one who was married. I'm still married. And yet I pursued her, pretty relentlessly, because I was selfish. I was more concerned about my happiness than about hers or my wife's. I wanted to have my cake and eat it, too, and I've put both the women in my life in awful positions. I never stopped to think about what this would do to them. How unfair it was for me to give each of them only a part of myself."

"What do you expect to happen now? With your career and with your life?"

"I'm sure the American people will decide my career path for me. I do want to apologize to Mellie and my kids and Olivia. Their forgiveness is really all I need. If the people choose to forgive me, then I will be very appreciative. I feel that I've been a good President, regardless of how I may have screwed up my personal life, but if the American public disagrees, then I won't blame them."

"Is there anything else you want to add before we end the interview?"

Fitz thought for a minute, then shook his head. "No. Thank you for this."

"Thank you, sir." She turned to the camera and said, "And that concludes our interview."

The screen faded back to the network and the cameras zoomed in on the journalists' shocked faces. Olivia couldn't stand to hear what they might say, so she lunged for the remote and turned off the TV. She sat stone-still as she tried to process what had just happened. But it was almost like her brain couldn't comprehend it. Fitz had just outed them to the world, and nothing would ever be the same.

"Liv," Abby said softly. She touched her back and rubbed in soft circles. "You okay?"

"I don't know what to think," she admitted.

Abby moved from the couch and sat on the edge of the coffee table so that she was in Olivia's line of vision. She placed her hands on either side of Olivia's face and spoke firmly.

"Olivia Pope, that man just put his heart on the line for you. He just gave up everything because that's how much he loves you. There is nothing to think about. That was the single most romantic thing I have ever seen in my life and probably ever will see. If you don't see how incredible this is, then you're a fool."

The words sunk into Olivia's fuzzy brain and although her first reaction was to freak out, she knew Abby was right. Still, she needed some time.

"Thank you," she said softly. She stood and grabbed the blanket. "You guys will stay the night, right?"

"Of course. We're not going to leave you to the vultures outside."

Olivia nodded and dragged her blanket with her into her bedroom. She lay down on her side, trying not to think at all. She rested there, still and calm, for what felt like hours. She had just started to nod off to sleep when there was a light knock on her door and Abby stuck her head in.

"Liv," she said quietly. "You should come in here."

She was too tired to ask questions, so she moved her exhausted body into the living room. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Fitz standing near the doorway. He looked tired, but relieved, like the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders. Her heart beat triple time as she looked at his handsome face. Time stood still and his eyes questioned her, asking if she forgave him, if she still loved him. She nodded just slightly, and that was all the confirmation he needed.

He nearly ran across the room to her and before she could react, his hands were on her face and his lips were on her mouth. For a brief second, she fell into the crazy addictiveness of their love and kissed him back, tongue and all. When he grabbed a little tighter and she felt the telltale signs of his excitement, she pulled her mouth away and glanced at her friends. Abby and Quinn were watching her like she was a porn movie, their expressions a combination of bewilderment and intrigue. She smiled sheepishly and managed to push Fitz away just a little.

"Fitz," she whispered. "Not now..."

"Tomorrow," he said desperately. "Meet me at Camp David." She started to shake her head but he stopped her. "I need you. I need to be with you and I can't do that here. Please, baby," he begged. "Be with me so I know I didn't fuck everything up."

His need for her melted her heart and almost made her drag him into her bedroom and soothe his worries. But instead, she stroked his cheek and shook her head.

"You didn't," she promised. "You surprised me." He grinned like a bad little boy. "But you didn't mess it up. I'll be there."

Fitz stole another kiss, then finally pulled away. Olivia walked him to the door and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. She watched him disappear onto the elevator, and when she walked back into the living room, Abby and Quinn were looking at her like she was a movie star.

"What?" she asked shyly.

"What did you do to him?" Abby asked.

"Yeah, can you teach me?" Quinn asked.

Olivia smiled and shook her head. "Sorry, girls. Some things just can't be taught."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Camp David was quiet. There were no cameras, no staffers, and no interviewers asking questions. It was just nature, and that was exactly what Fitz needed. He sat on the couch in the living room of the main cabin, relaxing for the first time in 24 hours. He had shed his suit for a sweater and some jeans, and his bare feet rested on the coffee table in front of him. He had actually started to doze off when the front door opened and he leaned back to see Olivia walking in. His heart leapt into his throat as he took her in. She was wearing a deep blue maternity sweater that hugged her swollen stomach and Fitz felt like he was falling in love with her all over again. She never looked more beautiful than she did at that exact moment: carrying his baby and no longer a secret.

"Hi," he said with smile.

"Hi," she said softly.

He hopped up and took her hand, leading her to the couch. Once she was seated, he sat down next to her. They stared at each other in silence for a few minutes, then he smiled sheepishly.

"Where do we start?" he asked.

"I don't know."

"Are you mad at me?"

Olivia nodded her head from side to side. "I was. When my mother called this morning and asked me why I was having an affair with a married man, I was very mad at you."

Fitz hung his head. "I'm sorry. I should have thought more about how this would affect you. I was only thinking about clearing my own conscience. That was stupid. I'm sorry."

She reached over and took his hand. When she squeezed it, he looked at her. "I said I _was_ mad, Fitz. I'm not anymore. Yes, it was hard to hear my mother tell me how disappointed she is in me, but I knew what I was getting into when we got together. As much as it sucks to be under a microscope like this, I feel free."

"Me too," he breathed.

"My phone's been ringing off the hook since yesterday. Someone actually called and left a message saying, and I quote, 'Ms. Pope, please call me back for an interview because I'd like to discuss whether the President is as good in bed as he appears to be.'"

Fitz burst into laughter.

"That's an interview you should actually do," he told her through laughs. "Tell her the answer is a resounding yes."

Olivia chuckled, then scooted closer to him so that her body was nestled into his. Fitz kissed the top of her head and rubbed her stomach.

"How did Mellie take it?" she asked quietly.

"She slapped me. Really hard, actually. And she told me she's going to have her lawyers draw up divorce papers. She'll tell the media that she didn't know anything about us, that she thought we were just friends and she trusted us and she's absolutely devastated at this turn of events," he said, copying her voice.

Olivia snickered and ran her fingers over his. "And Cyrus?"

"I haven't seen Cyrus since yesterday. I kind of think he jumped off a bridge."

"It's possible."

They were silent again and Fitz continued to rub her tummy.

"What are you thinking?" he whispered.

"Just wondering where we go from here."

"We..." he said, as he scooted enough away so they could look at each other. "Weather the storm and wait for the dust to settle. And then," he said, as he kissed the back of her hand, "we start our life together."

Olivia looked at him for a moment, then frowned like she didn't like his plan.

"I want you to date me," she announced.

Fitz smiled. "Date you?"

"Yes. I know we've done everything completely backwards, but before we start this fabulous life together, I want to be wooed."

He chuckled and stroked her cheek. "Wooed, huh? Like flowers and chocolates?"

"And love letters and movie dates and everything else that makes women's hearts flutter."

"Okay."

"Let's start now," she said matter-of-factly. "Let's order pizza and watch a movie."

Fitz gazed at her and shook his head. "You really are my perfect woman." He kissed her, then hopped up and went outside, where Tom was standing watch. "Tom, what can you do about getting us a deep-dish, greasy-as-hell pizza and a scary movie that will make my woman cuddle up to me?"

He sure it was first time he had seen Tom laugh, but Tom quickly recovered and nodded. "I can handle that, sir."

Fitz patted him on the back and returned to the living room, where Olivia was pulling herself up.

"I'm going to take a shower," she told him. His eyes widened with excitement but before he could ask, she said, "and no, you cannot join me. Despite the fact that I'm very pregnant with your baby and everyone knows about our scandalous affair, we're going to take things slowly from now on."

He smiled that cocky smirk and placed his hands on her hips. "I'll woo you."

"Yes, you will." She leaned up and kissed him slowly. "And you'll enjoy it," she whispered.

"Yes, I will."

...

When Fitz walked into the Oval Office the next morning, he had a little spring in his step. He and Olivia had spent the night at Camp David, and although they didn't have sex because they agreed to take things slowly, they did snuggle each other to sleep. Fitz awoke, feeling energized and happy and confident that he could take on the world. He ignored all the sideways glances he received from random people in the West Wing, determined to make the most of whatever was left of his Presidency. He was quite shocked when he spotted Cyrus sitting on the couch in the Oval.

"Cyrus," he said with a smile. "I thought I would have to send out a search party for you."

Cyrus stood. "I apologize for my absence, sir. I needed to take some time to wrap my head around what happened during your interview with Oprah."

"I'm sorry I caught you off-guard. It was something I had to do."

He took a seat behind his desk and he and Cyrus stared at one another. He readied himself for whatever lecture Cyrus was about to give him.

"Sir, do you have any interest in remaining President?" he asked, his tone absent of any malice.

Fitz thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "I'd like to finish my term."

"And re-election?"

"I think that's out of the realm of possibility."

"That wasn't my question, sir," Cyrus said seriously.

"I'd only want to remain President if it meant I could be with Olivia."

"That's what I figured you'd say." He shook his head like he was disappointed, then returned to the couch, where he produced a manila folder with some papers in it. "I've got your latest approval numbers after that debacle of an interview."

"I'm sure they're very encouraging," Fitz said dryly.

"Mellie has a 97% approval rating. You came in with a 6% rating."

Fitz laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "Great. Is there some reason you're telling me this?"

"Those are just the Republican numbers, sir. With Democrats, you have an 88% approval rating."

Fitz's eyebrows raised in surprise. "What?"

"Don't look so surprised, Fitz," Cyrus said, almost smiling. "You're a powerful white man brought to your knees by a beautiful, smart black woman. It's a liberal's wet dream."

"So...what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that if you actually want to keep this job, you might be able to do it if you run as a Democrat." Cyrus got up and leaned over the desk, and Fitz could see the excitement in his eyes. "You're already socially liberal enough for most Democratic voters and with a few tweaks to your economic policy, this could be an easy transition. This is unprecedented, sir, and you could damn well do it. Just...just give me the word."

Fitz thought about it for a moment, then held out his hand. "Give me your phone."

Cyrus hit 2 on the speed dial and handed it over, and after a couple of rings, Olivia answered.

"Yes?" she sang.

"That's a much nicer greeting that 'what.'"

"I'm trying to show my kinder, gentler side. What can I do for you?"

"Apparently, Republicans hate me and Democrats love me."

"Not surprising."

"Cyrus thinks I could win on the Democratic ticket. What do you think?"

"If Cyrus says you can, you can."

"But should I?" he asked. "I kind of had my heart set on us riding into the sunset on our magic carpet. This means another term of politics and business and being under the microscope."

"It does."

"And it means that you will _definitely_ have to marry me, because I can't shack up in the White House with my baby-mama."

She laughed. "I could probably manage that."

"You'd have to leave your firm," he said seriously. "You'd basically be a glorified housewife and I know that will drive you crazy. Are you sure you can give that up?"

"I'll leave OPA to Harrison to manage while we're in the White House and once your second term is over, I'll come back. And I won't just be a housewife. I'll expect my husband to consult me on big decisions and I'll get involved in something to occupy my time."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Fitz," she sighed. "You have a lot more to offer as President. Yes, I would have to sacrifice, but that's what couples do. I'll do it if this is what you want. And this is all assuming people actually vote for you, which they may not. And if they don't, _then_ we'll ride off on our magic carpet."

Fitz smiled and gave Cyrus a small nod. Cyrus fist-pumped and motioned that he would be right back.

"I love you," Fitz told Olivia.

"I know."

He grinned. "We're actually doing this, then. You and me."

"Yes, we are. Only it's not you and me anymore, Fitz. It's us."

**So that's all she wrote for this story, guys. I really do appreciate the feedback and comments and I'm glad so many of you liked this story. Obviously, there are things still to be covered here but I'd rather save it for a sequel. There will be a sequel...I just need a little time to figure out where I'm going with it. I hope you check it out.**


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